Wishbone: A Tail in Twain

While it's not Babe by a long shot, the Emmy-award winning series Wishbone--which features a talking canine in literature-inspired stories--is also no dog. On the contrary, the episode we watched (a 2-parter based on Twain's Tom Sawyer) cleverly alternated between a modern-day story of Wishbone and his human friends investigating the mystery of a dug-up grave (creepy-crawly) and Twain's tale of the mostly good-hearted urchin Tom Sawyer (played by Wishbone) and his slightly seedier best friend Huck Finn. Although you might call this the abridged and politically correct version (the hilarious fence painting episode is missing, and Injun Joe has been changed to Crazy Joe), the production values are high, the humor sure to appeal to younger viewers, and there's a likelihood that some kids will check out the book. Recommended. An additional episode Wishbone: Hercules Unleashed is also available. Aud: E, P. (R. Pitman)