Sam and the Lucky Money

Based on the 1995 picture book written by Karen Chinn and illustrated by Cornelius Van Wright and Ying-Hwa Hu, this iconographic adaptation offers a lesson in selfless compassion. For the Chinese New Year, young Sam heads into Chinatown to see the parade and spend his holiday "lucky money" ($4). Wandering into a store, Sam asks what any parent who roams the aisles of Toys 'R Us has long wondered ("what is four dollars good for?"). Angered by his limited purchasing power, Sam exits the store in a huff, and sees an old man with no shoes huddled against a wall. Although Sam takes a detour into a bakery shop, there's no question where his "lucky money" will finally end up. The combination of almost completely static animation and a too predictable storyline (even for younger children) make this well-intentioned video an optional purchase. Aud: K, E, P. (R. Pitman)