Short Takes

Move over Britney and Barney. Kidz Bop, a series of albums comprised of rerecorded Top 40 songs sung by eight- to 12-year-olds, is making waves. Kidz Bop 9, featuring remakes of songs by Cold Play, Gwen Stefani, and Weezer, was such a hit that it debuted at No. 2 on the Billboard charts in February. Why are kids so hot for Kidz Bop? “It is hard to find music for this tweener audience—too young for Eminem but ready to move on from Barney,” says Cliff Chenfeld, co-owner of the music label Razor & Tie, which produces the series.

Two Missouri library branches have moved And Tango Makes Three (S & S, 2005) by Peter Parnell and Justin Richardson from the children's room to the nonfiction section after parents complained that the book contained homosexual themes. The picture book tells the true story of two male penguins, Roy and Silo, who raise a baby penguin in New York City's Central Park Zoo. Barbara Read, director of the Rolling Hills (MO) Consolidated Library branches, says moving the book to the nonfiction section would decrease the chance of blindsiding readers.