The Book of Pooh: Stories from the Heart

Who can read A. A. Milne's stories without hearing the voices of Sterling Holloway as Pooh, Paul Winchell as Tigger or John Fiedler as Piglet? This Disney Channel preschool series, produced and developed by Mitchell Kriegman, the Emmy Award-winning creator of "Bear in the Big Blue House," marks a new chapter in one of Disney's most enduring franchise, combining puppetry with computer-generated "virtual sets." While the look of the series is fresh, the voices are reassuringly familiar, with Jim Cummings, who replaced Winchell and the late Holloway, as Tigger and Pooh, and Fiedler back in action. Rather than recycle episodes, this produced for video collection contains six new stories about Milne's beloved characters. In the first, Pooh sets off "over the hill" to look for an adventure. When he unwittingly finds himself back home, he gets to meet all his "very best friends all over again." In another story, Piglet learns that "every one of us is unique" when Tigger recruits him to "earn his stripes" as his replacement. The Book of Pooh is faithful in spirit to Milne's gentle-natured stories, and a delightful way to introduce or re-acquaint youngsters with the captivating world of Hundred Acre Wood. Warmly recommended. Aud: K, E, P. (K. Lee Benson)