FAMILY : ‘Steig Library’: Tales Are Definite Keepers

A fox ponders the etiquette of devouring his dentist, a lonely piglet is befriended by a magical bone, a donkey turns to stone and a little girl proves her courage: In the rich imagination of artist-writer William Steig, anything can happen and in “The William Steig Library,” animated versions of four of Steig’s award-winning books released by Children’s Circle home video, anything does.

Steig’s offbeat stories and distinctive, deceptively simple comic drawings and soft watercolors, plus animation by award-winning Michael Sporn and mood-setting narration from John Lithgow and others, make this collection of tales a keeper for families to share.

The highlight is “Doctor De Soto,” an Aesopian fable about a mouse dentist and his wife who, against their better judgment, agree to treat a fox’s toothache. The fox isn’t devoid of finer feelings as he questions “if it would be shabby to eat the De Sotos when the job was done,” but temptation is great, especially since Dr. De Soto’s method of operation is to stand inside the mouths of his larger patients to wield his drill.

Steig, a longtime shrewd observer of human nature through his work in the New Yorker and elsewhere, and a multi-award-winning children’s author-illustrator, didn’t start writing and drawing for children until he was 60. Viewers can get a glimpse of what shapes his work at the end of the video in a brief but revealing segment called “Getting to Know William Steig.”

Also worth a look from Children’s Circle is a charming retelling of the Hans Christian Andersen tale “The Nightingale.” Narrated by gifted Oscar and Tony nominee Mako, the cautionary fable of how a little bird teaches a great emperor a lesson in humility comes to life in delicate brushwork and evocative music.

Children’s Circle frequently includes interviews with authors and illustrators in its collection releases, another reason this company is one of the best in the business.

* “The William Steig Library,” $14.95, and “The Nightingale,” $14.95, Children’s Circle, (800) KIDS-VID.