Video: 'A Laurie Berkner Animals Special' Debuts on YouTube

Beloved kids’ musician Laurie Berkner takes children on an hour-long educational musical adventure in A Laurie Berkner Animals Special, starting Friday, April 4, on Laurie’s YouTube channel and Monday, April 7 on YouTube Kids. Check it out below!

Laurie Berkner needs help filling out her Animal Finder’s Guide as she searches the magic land of Juniper Fields for some of the animals that live there!  Along the way, Laurie encounters 12 fascinating creatures and shares a treasure trove of animal and nature lore with her young viewers. Each animal “find” is accompanied by a music video of a favorite Laurie Berkner song.

Laurie also incorporates a variety of early childhood curriculum markers into A Laurie Berkner Animals Special, like counting, simple math, problem solving, recognition of words, shapes, and colors, social-emotional concepts, movement, rhythm, and so much more.  

A Laurie Berkner Animals Special features an assortment of hits that Laurie has written about animals through the years. Fans can look forward to hearing “My Bunny Goes Hop,” “Bumblebee (Buzz Buzz),” “Pig On Her Head,” “Chipmunk At The Gas Pump,” “Onyx The Octopus,” “I Know A Chicken,” “Waiting For The Elevator” “The Goldfish (Let’s Go Swimming),” “I Saw A Butterfly,” “Walking With The Penguins,” “Fireflies,” and “We Are The Dinosaurs.”

ABOUT LAURIE BERKNER:

Business Insider dubbed Laurie “the gold standard of the children’s music world.” As a leader and innovator in children’s music and entertainment for more than 25 years, Laurie has released 16 bestselling, award-winning albums, was the first recording artist to ever appear in music videos on Noggin, appeared regularly on the network’s Jack’s Big Music Show, and helped develop the short form animated musical preschool series Sing It, Laurie! on Universal Kids (formerly Sprout).

Laurie has authored several picture books based on her songs and has created two Laurie Berkner’s Song and Story Kitchen series with Audible Studios, who released them as 10-chapter audio books through the Audible Originals brand. She has written the music and lyrics for three children’s musicals originally produced Off-Broadway by New York City Children’s Theater and now presented regionally. Laurie has performed at Lincoln Center, Carnegie Hall, Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, and the White House, among many other prestigious venues. She looks forward to the release of her 17th album, Laurie Berkner Greatest Hits, on May 2, 2025.

What sets Laurie apart? She displays an instinctive understanding of children’s natural rhythms and energy, which keeps kids enraptured and brings parents and caregivers happily along for the ride.  Laurie finds inspiration in her audience.  “I want to create songs that matter for children,” she says.  “I was singing once and saw a four-year-old girl shut her eyes and start swaying to the music.  I thought, ‘That’s the reason I got into music.’  It keeps me wanting to do more.”

Laurie Berkner has received tremendous critical acclaim. USA Today named Laurie “the undisputed queen of kindie rock.” The New York Times dubbed her “the Adele of the preschool crowd.” The Wall Street Journal called Laurie “one of the most popular children’s performers in America … her music is distinctive because it speaks to kids without talking down to them, charming youngsters without boring grownups.” NPR’s All Things Considered declared, “Laurie Berkner is like a goddess to these children.”

Laurie Berkner Performance Highlights April - August 2025

April 26 - East Greenwich, RI - Greenwich Odeum
April 27 - Beverly, MA - The Cabor
May 3 - San Francisco, CA - Marines’ Memorial Theatre
May 4 - Los Angeles, CA - Great Big Family Play Day, Griffith Park
May 31 - Wilmington, DE - Grand Opera House
June 1 - Peekskill, NY - Paramount Hudson Valley
August 9 - Highland Park, IL - Ravinia Festival

Photo credit: Jayme Thornton