Recently, I have reintroduced myself to my favorite forms of children's literature: children's music. While we have read about many stories that have been changed from their original forms to the more child appropriate versions we know today, songs are often created solely for children. Just listening to the music for a few hours has automatically put me in an extremely happy mood. The songs are almost always upbeat, they often teach a lesson (either moral or educational), and they generally bring back positive memories of a more peaceful time in my life.

A really great website listing some of the most popular and favorite children's songs is as follows:
http://kids.niehs.nih.gov/music.htm.

My favorite children's songs were often the Disney songs from the fairy tale remakes. While they have little to do with the original fairy tale forms, they are enchanting songs for small children (and even 22 year old college students).

I read a study that showed that children who listened to music matured into more intelligent young adults and did better in school. The article in Child Neuropsychology showed that children who listened to music when they were young were more musically inclined and more expressive. These are often measurements of intelligence, and thus these children appear to become more intelligent than their peers who do not regularly listen to music as children.
http://www.informaworld.com/smpp/content~content=a714015723~db=all