In the Month Of Kislev; Noisy Nora

Two new titles from Weston Woods combine appealing visuals, lively narration, bouncy soundtracks, and strong source material. Based on the 1992 picture book by Nina Jaffe and Louise August, In the Month of Kislev is a modern-day Scrooge story set during Hanukkah about a wealthy Polish merchant who brings charges against impoverished children who stood under the merchant's window and smelled the heavenly aroma of potato latkes. How the local rabbi metes out justice to the enraged merchant is, in the best rabbinical tradition, both wise and humorous, and the merchant gets a long overdue lesson in sharing. Veteran narrator Theodore Bikel's delivery is solid, and the basic iconographic style, though simple, is well suited to the unadorned message at the film's core: greed smothers the spirit, while sharing enriches both the receiver and the giver. Recommended for libraries collecting public performance children's video. Ages 4-8.Middle siblings will love the fully animated Noisy Nora, based on the 1973 picture book by Rosemary Wells. Adroitly narrated by Mary Beth Hurt, this brief slice-of-dysfunctional-family-life introduces us to your basic two-parent, three-children mouse family, where baby Jack requires most of mom's attention, while older daughter Kate has reached the age where she's able to play chess and other quasi-adult games, which endears her to her father. All of which makes middle sibling Nora fairly ticked off. Nora knocks over chairs, drops bowls, flies a kite in the house, in short does all a body can do to attract attention, and she gets it: "hush!" say her parents. Eventually, Nora tries a tactic which is really noticed by the family, and all parties come a little closer as a result. Noisy Nora is that perfect little animated short that Weston Woods has a true knack for creating. Highly recommended for libraries collecting public performance children's video. Editor's Choice. Ages 4-6 (and anybody else). (R. Pitman)