It’s never easy to go through all of the great family music picks we have covered over the past twelve months and rank our top ten favorites for the annual Fids and Kamily Awards. But it’s also so great to get together virtually with all the other journalists, bloggers, publicists, and radio show hosts to pull together the top picks of the year.

This year’s winner? It’s a name you’ll probably recognize, as he and his band have been making great family music for more than 16 years: It’s one of our all-time favorites (and four-time Fids and Kamily winner), Justin Roberts. He was voted in the top slot this year for his awesome album Recess. And it was a very good year for the versatile singer, as his Lullaby CD also got some group love from the panel.

Just hop on over the the Fids and Kamily awards page to see their top thirteen picks, or check out this week’s Spare the Rock Spoil the Child Radio Program to hear selections from each artist.

However if you want a peek at my own top secret ballot, here are the CDs we think were tops for Cool Mom Picks in the past year:

1. Shine and the Moonbeams by Shine and the Moonbeams

2. Singing our Way Through–Songs for the World’s Bravest Kids by Alastair Moock

3. Recess by Justin Roberts

4. Deep Sea Diver by Recess Monkey

5. Blink of an Eye by Frances England

6. Kidquake! by The-Not Its!

7. Turn Turn Turn by Elizabeth Mitchell and Dan Zanes

8. Pleased to Meet You by Key Wilde & Mr. Clarke

9. Fantastico! by Lucky Diaz and The Family Jam Band

10. Are We There Yet? by The Verve Pipe

Congratulations to all the winners and honorable mentions both above and on the Fids and Kamily list. I have to say I think the real winners are all of us who get to enjoy great family-friendly music together. –Christina

Visit Fids and Kamily for the Best Kids and Family Music of 2013. We also love every one of the CDs we feature on our site, so check our archives for all of them. And check out last year’s 2012 top family music  for even more gift-giving ideas.