Freddy's School of Fish [VHS]

While this instructional video is jazzed up a bit by an oft-refrained country & western song and the animated fish Freddy, it never strays far from its intent to teach children and their parents the basics of fishing. Freddy outlines some of the principles and materials needed on a blackboard, but the real teacher is Kevin, who takes a family (Mom, Dad, Sister, Brother) out on a charter boat for a day of fishing. He goes over rod and reel operation, casting, and knot tying, as well as some specialty techniques such as chumming (throwing frozen fish parts overboard to lure fish to the side of the boat). Safety precautions and ethics (like only keeping fish 18 inches or longer) are stressed. The jacket says for ages 3 and older, but children that young would have to have a strong interest in fishing for this 40-minute video to keep their attention. --Kimberly Heinrichs