Spotted in the Woods

Is there a child somewhere in the continental U.S. who hasn't been exposed (repeatedly) to the environmentalist clarion call of "save the spotted owl!"? Not counting Oregon, where I suspect logging trucks probably have license plates reading "I Love the Spotted Owl...It Tastes Like Chicken," I should think this particular environmental vein has been pretty well mined, circa 1998, but for those of you who are still looking for a good spotted owl tape, this one offers less rhetoric than most and sports beautiful cinematography to boot. Filmed by Frank Green (whose outstanding The Forest Through the Trees was reviewed in VL-5/91) and ably-narrated by his 10-year-old daughter Linda, Spotted in the Woods is a brief, fact-filled overview of the spotted owl situation: namely, the owls living in old-growth forests are disappearing due to logging. The program reminds us all that life is a long chain--the spotted owl is one link; we are another; it pays to look out for each other (and if you're spiritually inclined, it's probably good karma). Plus, the shot of a mother spotted owl trying to feed her finicky fledgling a mouse is quite precious ("Eat your mouse, son; it'll put feathers on your chest.") Recommended. Aud: E, I, P. (R. Pitman)