Beyond the Page: Honk!

Poor Mimi. A "prima swanerina" unappreciated in her own backpond, Mimi the swan longs to enter the Paris Opera House after catching a mesmerizing glimpse of a performance of Swan Lake. Only two obstacles stand in her way: a sign rudely stating "No Birds Allowed," and a pesky theater manager bent on enforcing the policy. Spotlighting the 1988 picture book Honk!, written by Pamela Duncan Edwards and illustrated by Henry Cole, this edition of Disney's popular Beyond the Page series--a multimedia literature appreciation show--finds a group of young students visiting host Shelley at her "Beyond the Page Café," where she narrates the nicely animated Honk! After the reading, Shelley and her young charges go online for a chat with Edwards and Cole, and the program concludes with a mini-documentary called "The Art of Ballet," featuring Yvonne Mounsey. A winning combination of an entertaining and handsomely presented story, solid message (originally put forth in 1962 by noted motivational guru Elvis Presley in the self-help opus Follow That Dream), interesting behind-the-scenes interviews, and a real-life tie-in, this is highly recommended. Two other titles in the series are also available: Beyond the Page: Freedom River and Beyond the Page: The Web Files. Aud: K, E, P. (R. Pitman)