U GOTTA SEE THIS.

``Hoot'' (New Line; $27.98) isn't exactly a hoot, but it is sweet, with its heart in the right place. Based on an award-winning young-adult novel by Carl Hiaasen -- the Florida-based author better-known for his racy mysteries like ``Strip Tease'' -- ``Hoot'' involves three kids who unite to stop developers from destroying the habitat of an endangered owl in the Sunshine State.

Director Wil Shriner stresses the offbeat nature of the story (a Hiaasen trademark) with the goofy, mismatched youths -- the new kid in school Roy (Logan Lerman), the tomboyish soccer star Beatrice (Brie Larson) and a strange outsider known as Mullet Fingers (Cody Linley) -- plus the comic relief of the adults -- the dim cop (Luke Wilson) and the even dimmer construction site foreman (Tim Blake Nelson).

Complementing this are cute shots of animals, from baby gators to snakes -- and owls, of course.

The pace of ``Hoot'' is a bit pokey, but what do you expect from a story set in the home state of Jimmy Buffett, who was one of the film's producers and has a cameo -- plus he wrote a couple of songs for the movie, none of which is called ``Margaritaville.''

-- Rob Lowman

For video viewing, you won't feel guilty about, there's ``Jumbo Box of Storybook Classics 2.'' (Scholastic; $59.95). This charming DVD set includes more than 35 stories adapted from classic children's picture books. With lively animation and great music, the series brings to life favorite bedtime tales such as ``Curious George Rides a Bike'' ``How Do Dinosaurs Say Goodnight?'' and ``Tikki Tikki Tembo.''

Adding some sparkle to this set are celebrity voices, including Anthony Edwards narrating ``Goodnight Gorilla'' and Laura Dern narrating a tale of frogs and tadpoles in ``In the Small, Small Pond.''

Marvin Hamlisch adds music to ``Zin! Zin! A Violin,'' and Forest Whitaker is on a bonus track reading ``The Paperboy.''

Stories are geared for a wide age range -- from 2 to 9. One crowd pleaser for the 4-year-

old set is ``I Know an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly.'' Narrated by the legendary Burl Ives, the story has whimsical animation and caused a giggle-

fest among a preschool crew during a recent viewing.

With six DVDs and more than five hours of entertainment, the set is available in stores and online.

-- Diana McKeon Charkalis

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(1) no caption (``Hoot'')

(2) no caption (``Jumbo Box of Storybook Classic 2'')