Arthur Cracks the Case (2003)

TV. Along with Wishbone and Reading Rainbow, I always loved the Arthur programs on PBS when my boys were young. I still love them all -- Arthur is just as pleasant and entertaining as ever! The theme song "Hey (What A Wonderful Kind of Day)!" sung by Ziggy Marley is a classic feel-good tune that I never want to get out of my head, and of course it has a great message for kids. This disc has three Arthur episodes: D.W.'s Snow Mystery (what happened to the snowball that Arthur's kid sister stored in the freezer for safekeeping?), Arthur's Mystery Envelope (Arthur worries about what's in the sealed envelope the principal gave him for his mother), and Finders Key-pers (Arthur, Brain, and Binky find a mysterious key and debate what it's for and how to share it). Besides its creative characters, each with their own personalities and stories, one particularly whimsical aspect of the Arthur programs is how its characters will often explain how they remember or imagine an incident (such as the seven reenacted versions of who opened the freezer before D.W.'s snowball was last seen) but with subtle differences inimical to their personalities and motivations. At 40 minutes per disc rental, Arthur episodes are like popcorn shrimp, though I'll borrow as many as possible from the library to save on mailbox turnaround time. Kids through ages 8-10 will love Arthur and so will you, if you have any kid left in you! 4.5 stars.