Caspar Babypants to Sing Bouncy Kids' Ballads Wednesday at Sammamish Library

Redmond families who want to dance, learn and listen with simple, bouncy pop music for kids should head over to the before 11 a.m. Wednesday for a free music event. Chris Ballew is bringing his band, Caspar Babypants, and a slew of lively tunes to the Sammamish Plateau as part of a tour of Seattle-area libraries.

The group's latest album is "This is Fun!" The music event is designed for kids between the ages of 2 to 5 years old. Parents or guardians need to accompany kids. The event is open to members of the public on a first come, first served basis. Space is limited.

Ballew is the lead singer of The Presidents of the United States of America and the kids' music band includes electric guitar, electric piano - and, of course, singers. He is committed to supporting literacy skills for kids, according to the King County Library System.

The new album, the band said on its website, is "full of 20 silly simple songs about centipedes and frogs and elephants and more!" There are video clips of the group's songs embedded with this article.

But also on the group's website, there are lyrics, audio and video clips as well as comments from fans. Ballew includes background on how each song came about.

For example, "This is Fun!" includes a ballad entitled "Googly Eyes." The backstory:

"We love googly eyes around our house. I will often come into the kitchen to find a sweet potato with eyes staring at me that my kids or Kate has set up. One of them ended up being named Larry the Lemon. He might get his own song someday. For now this is a love song for the googly eyes and their amazing power to make things come alive."

If you can't make the Wednesday show but would like to see Caspar Babypants, the group will play on Monday, April 4, at 10:30 a.m. at the Kent Library. On Saturday, April 30, the band will perform at at 1 p.m. 

On May 1, members will perform at 10 a.m. the Top Pot Doughnuts 5K Kids Run and Walk at Greenlake Park in Seattle. The band is also scheduled to play at other libraries and venues in the region.