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Scholastic Video Collection: The Day Jimmy's Boa Ate the Wash

What’s the Story?

Reviewed by Sarah Wenk

SCHOLASTIC VIDEO COLLECTION: THE DAY JIMMY'S BOA ATE THE WASH features stories about kids and their experiences in school. In the titular story, Jimmy and his class take a field trip to a farm and things get out of hand when Jimmy's pet snake gets loose. In "Shrinking Violet," a very shy girl lands a major part in the school play. And a little guy heads off to his first day of school and gets scared he won't make any friends in "Will I Have a Friend?"

Is It Any Good?

4

The stories on this collection run the gamut from absolutely delightful to overlong and dull. "Shrinking Violet," while imparting a valuable lesson about overcoming shyness, is very long and very slow, and the animation is particularly uninspired. At the other end of the spectrum is "The Sweater," a reminiscence of a French- Canadian childhood and the crucial importance of wearing the right hockey sweater. It's a pure delight. There's also a charming rendition of James Thurber's "Man Moons."

Some of the stories are geared for older kids, but everything in them is accessible to anyone. Families who watch together can use the stories as starting points for discussions of school, friendship, imagination, and the magic of childhood.

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