Tumble Bee by Laura Veirs

What do you get when you mix rollicking and soulful folk songs with captivating vocals and a first-rate mix of harmonies, guitars, banjo, piano, percussion, accordion, brass, strings and whistles? A topnotch family folk album, shaped, layered and made shiny new by skilled musicians led by vocalist Laura Veirs, whose voice is graceful, expressive and utterly charming. Each song is a memorable little jewel, from the familiar ''All the Pretty Little Horses'' and a version of ''Froggie Went A-Courtin' '' called ''King Kong Kitchie Kitchie Ki-Me-O'' to Wood' Guthrie's ''Why Oh Why,'' Ruth Seeger's arrangement of ''Jack Can I Ride?'' and ''The Fox,'' based on a 15th century poem about a foxy late-night poultry raid. The one new song ''Tumble Bee,'' written by singer and multi-instrumentalist Karl Blau, fits right in. --Parents Choice Award Gold Medal