Tom Chapin is a renowned singer/songwriter, known for music that teaches the young and old. Some of his songs, such as Family Tree, Moonboat, Mother Earth, Billy The Squid, Zag Zig, and a concert video, This Pretty Planet: Tom Chapin Live In Concert, have been recognized with awards from the American Library Association, Parents' Choice, the New York Music Awards, the National Association of Parenting Publications and Parents Magazine. Around The World And Back Again and In My Hometown, received the Parents' Choice Award and were each nominated for a Grammy Award. A collection of environmental songs titled This Pretty Planet also received a Grammy nomination. Great Big Fun for the Very Little One, received the 2002 Parents' Choice Gold Award.
Chapin has also been the host of ABC-TV's Peabody and Emmy Award winning children's show, Make A Wish, and he later hosted National Geographic's Explorer series on TBS. Chapin narrates a series of children's books to benefit the Humane Society of the United States, and reads them aloud to kids at readplay.com on the internet. Another narration, Mama Don't Allow, won a 2002 Grammy Award for Best Spoken Word Album for Children. It was also named a Notable Children's Recording by the American Library Association.
Chapin also works on behalf of many charitable organizations. He has joined Save The Children and is a member of the Board of Directors of WHY (World Hunger Year), which was founded in 1975 by Tom's late brother, Harry Chapin.
Chapin is a contributor to National Public Radio's Morning Edition, creating and performing topical songs poking fun at social and scientific trends in the news.
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