Arthur Gets Spooked

The Elwood City adventures of young aardvark Arthur and his animal friends (including monkeys, rabbits, bears, etc.) continue in this mildly spooky three-segment compilation based on the bestselling children's book series by Marc Brown. Arthur is hot-to-trot about an excitingly creepy new book series in “The Scare-Your-Pants-Off Club,” but must come up with a plan to save his hobby when Muffy's stuffy parents start a censorship group (PAWS--Parents Against Weird Stories) that lobbies to have the books removed from the local library. In “Friday the 13th,” know-it-all Brain disses Buster's belief in good luck charms, but when Brain tries to lay superstitions to rest with a series of tests (walking under a ladder, breaking a mirror), his seriously unlucky results lead him to question his stubborn principles (“Science, why have you forsaken me?!” squeals Brain), especially with the titular date looming ahead. Finally, in “The Boy Who Cried Comet,” bunny Buster's overactive imagination runs wild when he thinks he sees a UFO (an “Undeniable Flying Object”), but the gang starts to believe him when he finds out that a comet is supposed to collide with the Earth in 37 days (no need to check your science history, there's a wacky little twist ending). Easygoing, entertaining, and educational, this holiday-themed addition to the popular PBS-aired series is recommended. [Note: also newly available, at the same prices, is Arthur Cracks the Case.] Aud: K, E, P. (J. Williams)