Sounder

Warm and satisfying and, yes, inspiring, this second adaptation of the novel by William H. Armstrong nevertheless raises the simple question: why? The 1972 original was nominated for multiple Oscars and continues to bewitch viewers today with its tale of the friendship between a young boy (sweet-faced Daniel Lee Robertson) and his coonhound Sounder in the rural, Depression-era South. Parents who don't just want the tube to be a brainless babysitter will appreciate that the film doesn't sugarcoat the lives of backbreaking work, extreme discrimination, and frequent deprivation faced by black sharecroppers, even if that makes for a fairly grim story: the boy's father (a passionate Carl Lumbly) goes to prison for stealing food for his family, forcing his son to grow up fast. Directed by Kevin Hooks, who played the boy in the first film, this TV-remake is a strong optional purchase for larger YA collections. (M. Johanson)