Arthur's Tooth

What do you do when you're the only kid in third grade who hasn't lost a baby tooth? Based on Marc Brown's popular Arthur picture books, this two-episode compilation opens with the title story, which features the studious young aardvark struggling with a loose tooth. Arthur tries the string trick (attach one end to your tooth, the other to the bathroom door. Slam.), eats rock candy for dessert, asks a friend to pop him one in the mouth...all without losing the offending milk tooth. To make matters worse, Arthur's classmates can squirt soda pop several feet through the gaps left by lost baby teeth, whereas Arthur's attempt merely sends carbonated sugar water dribbling down his shirt. Exploring the touchy subject of the pain of classmates ganging up on the kid who's different, Arthur's Tooth also offers some good dental hygiene advice and an engaging "A Word From Kids" segment in which grade schoolers share tooth stories. The other episode on the tape is "Sick as a Dog." Recommended. Aud: K, E, P. (R. Pitman)