Brother Hugo and the Bear

Narrated by Gildart Jackson, this iconographic-animated adaptation of author Katy Beebe and illustrator S.D. Schindler's 2014 picture book is inspired by a 12th-century manuscript compiling real-life letters by Saint Augustine. Here, monk Brother Hugo cannot return that particular library book because a wild bear ate—and really liked—the tome (“once a bear has a taste of letters, his love of books grows much the more”). Ordered by the abbot to rewrite the book for penance, Brother Hugo gleans the materials necessary to replace the original from helpful Carthusian monks at the Grande Chartreuse, but is dismayed to hear the snufflings and grumblings of the bear, who is pleased by the poems, sermons, and moral tales that Hugo throws out as bait in order to protect the new manuscript. Bonus features include a historical segment on Middle Ages monasteries and gold-illuminated manuscripts. Although it features an engaging premise, this odd (and wordy) tale may be somewhat lost on younger viewers. Optional. Aud: K, E, P. (J. Williams-Wood)