Not so much a children's folk album as it is a folk album with songs suitable for children, BIRDS, BEASTS, BUGS & FISHES--a 28-song compilation originally released in 1955 on two LPs--collects American and European folk songs about the animal kingdom. There're fanciful anthropomorphic narratives like the endlessly bizarre "Frog Went a-Courtin'," songs about the majesty of animals both wild and domesticated such as "I Had a Rooster" and "The Fox," and homespun narratives and dances that use animals as both metaphor and subject. One particular highlight is Seeger's peculiarly joyful version of "I Wish I Was a Mole in the Ground." Though not as celebrated as Bascom Lamar Lunsford's rendition, Seeger's take on the traditional tune is as mysteriously moving. By turns humorous and heartbreaking, BIRDS, BEASTS, BUGS & FISHES is a strong collection of folk classics.