Nickels

A sweet, if exceedingly slight, story of a young boy who sneaks out of his 10th floor apartment while his mother is running errands, and uses his prized collection of nickels to buy a baseball at a local sporting goods store. Along the way, our young hero learns valuable lessons about judging homeless people by their appearances, working against time and achieving goals under pressure. More controversial issues, such as single mothers leaving their children unattended at home while shopping, and the wisdom of sneaking out of the house in the big city (stereotypical sweet homeless people notwithstanding) are not directly addressed. However, the story is engaging, very well filmed and edited, with a professional style that gives the story a shine as nice as...well...a polished nickel. Budget-conscious librarians take note: this video will cost 2,900 nickels. Recommended, with reservations. Aud: I, J, P. (R. Ray)