Paul Bunyan [VHS]

Rabbit Ears Storybook Collection presents Paul Bunyan. Narrated by Johnathan Winters. Big as a mountain and strong as a grizzly bear, Paul Bunyan was the greatest lumberjack in the North American forests. This fun tale includes the larger-than-life characters in Paul's supporting case - Babe the Blue Ox and Hotbiscuit Sally. The outrageous adventures of Paul and his friends represent the very best of American storytelling. Music by Leo Kottke; illustrated by Rick Meyerowitz. 25 minutes run time.

The giant who cleared 23 trees in one swing of his ax and his trusty titanic blue-tinted ox, Babe, get the Rabbit Ears treatment in this charming 23-minute tape. These "video storybooks" take well-known tales and give them a celebrity narrator, illustrations with some minor animation, and original music. The result is a practically guilt-free alternative to reading books. Jonathan Winters does the narration honors here with a note-perfect rendition of this literally tall tale that began in lumber camps and eventually worked its way into the mainstream American storybook. This version finds Bunyan and the boys clearing the Dakotas at the request of President Teddy Roosevelt. Hot Biscuit Sally serves up enormous amounts of pancakes on a griddle that Bunyan rides into camp as a sled, a runaway Babe creates Minnesota's 10,000 lakes, and the giant lumberjack carves Mt. Rushmore to mark a job completed. This interpretation also has an environment-friendly twist: Bunyan has a change of heart after felling all the trees in two states, and dedicates the rest of his life to replanting the forest he devastated. (Ages 4 and older) --Kimberly Heinrichs