International Friday: Pororo the Penguin!

It might be summer here on the East Coast, but in Pororo's village, it's always winter!

Pororo is a computer-animated cartoon from South Korea animated by Iconix. It's been a runaway commercial success, airing in about 100 countries. I'd heard about Pororo a couple of years back from a Korean-American friend of mine, but I never got the chance to actually check the show out for myself. All I can say is WOW! It's a good thing each episode is only five minutes long, because Pororo and his friends are so sweet they could give you cavities!

If you've watched other programs for the preschool set (Miffy and Friends, Teletubbies, Pocoyo) you'll notice how similar in format Pororo is to those shows (in fact, the founder of Iconix used The Teletubbies as inspiration for Pororo, which you can read about here, if you are so inclined). There is Pororo and his friends having all sorts of fun, and the unseen narrator who elaborates the actions (or one of the character's feelings) to the viewers. There's nothing earth-shatteringly great about the show, but there isn't anything earth-shatteringly bad, either. I'm still not certain why this show is so popular, but then again, who can resist a cute, blue, penguin? I know I can't!

Recommended for kids ages 2-5.

You can watch Pororo in English (and Chinese or Korean, for that matter) on his official YouTube channel here.

Picture of Pororo was taken from here.

Print Media Monday: What Do You Want To See In A Children's Book?

When I first started working on my manuscript (a middle-grade adventure/fantasy), my only concerns were 1.) Making the dialogue sound true 2.) Making sure the reader wouldn't be bored to tears. As I get deeper and deeper into the manuscript, however, I am beginning to wonder. What does a reader look for in a children's book? What do I, as a parent, look for in a book for my own daughter?

Of course, the answers to these questions are as diverse as the children and parents out there. Here is my own personal wish list. Feel free to add anything you feel is missing in the comments section below. I would love to hear from you!

1.)The book appeals to both genders.

I was browsing a certain online bookseller looking for my daughter's favorite series, Ivy and Bean when I saw a suggestion for a book series called, The Never Girls. I'd never heard of it before, so I clicked on it. Apparently, the premise for this series is that four girls get lost (somehow) in Never Land. Yes, the (Disney-fied version of) Never Land of Tinker Bell and Peter Pan. The front and back covers are very girly (not pink, but pale purple, and maybe sparkly). From the reviews of the book, it seems that all the readers are young girls.

So what's the problem, you ask? I don't have a problem per se. My own daughter reads Ivy and Bean, as I just mentioned, and that is also a series that appeals overwhelmingly to young girls. But she also reads books with gender neutral appeal, like anything by Roald Dahl. And I'll borrow books from the library about race cars and dinosaurs, and other random subject matter, especially if it's subject matter that's not typically thought of as something girls would be interested in.

So what's my point? I don't want to make it seem like I'm attacking fairy books, or Ivy and Bean, or any other books that are (gasp!) marketed toward young girls. But I do feel like we need to present a balanced world to our children. And if our children are lucky enough to have access to books, then a great way to expose them to the world is through books that show both sides, "boys' world" and "girls world." Why not let your son read The Never Girls or your daughter pick up a Ninjago book? Or better yet, why not let them read books that just have a great story, and are not trying to over-market a brand or product? *end rant*

2.) The book shows ethnic, class, personality, and ability diversity, in a genuine, and not token way. (whew!)

Growing up as a minority in the U.S, I always got excited when I saw someone who looked vaguely Asian on television. It was the same way for books. I think the first character I encountered who was Asian American was the Chinese-American girl (whose name I cannot remember) from Zilpha Keatly Snyder's The Egypt Game. That book was great in that it had ethnic diversity, but also family diversity. The main character, April, was living with her grandmother after a divorce at a time when divorce was something almost unheard of.

Of course, diversity doesn't always have to mean something serious. On a lighter note, I love how Ivy and Bean of Ivy and Bean are imperfect in their imperfections. Bean hates to read (which makes me giggle considering she is a character in a book) while Ivy likes to make magic spells. I love that they are both weird and crazy and not obsessed with their test scores and soccer practices.

The world is wide and the kinds of people in it are many. If my child and I can learn something but also empathize with the characters, then I would say the book was a good read!

3.)The author tells a good story.

'Nuff said! Read on, write on!

Throwback Thursday: Gargoyles: Season One, Episode One

In the last post, I talked about Lego Ninjago, and how it's very heavily marketed toward boys. So I thought it would be nice to kick off the first "Throwback Thursday" post with a classic cartoon that crosses gender lines--the 1990s cartoon, Gargoyles.

I'll admit Gargoyles wasn't at the top of my list of throwbacks to review. But one day, when I was feeling nostalgic, I posted a Gargoyles video on Facebook (Yes, I'm outing myself--I'm a child of the 1990s!) All the people who commented on the video were female. Hmmmm, I thought. That's interesting. Using today's standards of what would make a good show "for girls" the show doesn't seem to have much girl appeal. Lots of fighting. No (cutesy) princesses. No pink. So what is it about Gargoyles that fans, both male and female, love?

The opening sequence of the first episode is action-packed, chock full of falling boulders, fire, and screaming people. It makes the viewer ask, "What the heck is going on?" Five seconds later, a beautiful but obviously strong woman detective comes on the scene, only identifying herself as "Maza." (I liked that they used a less-common Latin last name like Maza. The name firmly establishes her Latin identity without making her the token minority, which would have happened if they used a more common name like Lopez or Gomez). Maza's strong, yet attractive and not too overly-primped character makes the viewers want to know more about her and also gives the female viewers someone to identify with.

Edit I just checked the Wikipedia entry for Elisa Maza. It turns out that she is not Latina, but half-Nigerian, and half-Native American. Of course, this wasn't revealed in the first episode, which was the only episode I watched. According to the creators of the show, Maza's parents' relationship is supposed to parallel her later relationship with Goliath. Whoa! Inter-species love!

Flash backward to Scotland, A.D. 994. The origin of the Gargoyles is revealed. There's betrayal, murder, friendship, and true Gargoyle love all rolled into one. There's also tension between the Gargoyle and Human races. In spite of their service to the humans, the gargoyles are under constant threat of violence and vitriol. At one point, Goliath, the head honcho, wisely says, "It is human nature to fear what they don't understand."

So what's so great about Gargoyles? Everything! Both male and female fans can enjoy the great story, wise lessons, deep characterization, interesting relationships, and of course, action. It's a cartoon worth watching. No pink or token characters required.

To purchase Gargoyles, visit Amazon.

Please be advised that due to violent content, Gargoyles may not be a cartoon for very young children. I would personally rate this a cartoon for kids 11 and up, but the best thing would be to watch it first before showing it to your child.

Photo Credits

The picture of Demona kicking butt was taken from here.

Disney Channel's Jessie

I've been meaning to watch the show Jessie for a long time. I came across it one night while channel surfing, and I got really excited when I saw an Indian kid! (Actor Karan Brar).

Growing up Filipino-American in the United States, I always got excited when I saw an Asian person on television. Now that I have a child, I am even more excited when I see people of Asian descent on TV. I want my daughter to see that there are people who look like her, that she isn't an anomaly.

But my excitement soon vanished after a few minutes of watching, when Karan Brar's character Ravi Ross turned out to have a really bad Indian accent. Oh boy. In 2013, can't we let go of the "awkward Asian kid with the really thick accent" stereotype yet? Do we still poke fun at minorities for laughs? Is this kind of garbage still on TV? I changed the channel and vowed I would watch again when I could watch from the beginning, and get a fuller picture of what this TV show was about.

So I tuned in yesterday, May 14, (albeit 5 minutes late). According to my cable TV guide, it said the episode, "All the Knight Moves" was a rerun that originally aired on May 5. No matter. I just wanted to see a full episode. I wanted to see that I wasn't misjudging the whole thing from the few minutes that I saw. Boy, was my first impression right!

I knew the basic premise of the show, that Jessie (actress Debby Ryan) is the nanny to four kids adopted from all over the world by a rich family (Think: Brangelina). I suppose I can't fairly judge other episodes, but in this particular episode, I didn't actually see her do any nanny work. Sure, she is around when the kids are, but she barely offers them any supervision or guidance. In this episode, her biggest role is persuading Zuri, the youngest, to enter a chess competition so that she could win Jessie a trip to Paris. When Zuri buckles under the pressure and has a nightmare about it, Jessie, dressed as the "Queen" chess piece is telling her, "You have to practice [chess] so the Queen can meet cute French guys." Wow. Is that supposed to be funny? Meanwhile, Jessie gets Ravi (the boy with the really fake Indian accent) a gig emceeing the competition, but pokes fun at his "nerdiness" the entire time. What a great nanny! In the end, when Zuri throws the competition so her opponent, the appropriately named "Creme Brulee" can visit his family, all I'm thinking is, "What about leaning in??? I thought this show was supposed to have pseudo-feminist overtones!" (See the next two paragraphs). Creme Brulee then credits Jessie for raising Zuri to have a good heart, and Zuri fixes everything by calling their super-rich parents and asking for the use of the family jet to go to Paris. And everyone lives happily ever after.

Now I know what you might be thinking. This is a television show, Maureen. And a sitcom at that. Fiction. Why get all twisted up in knots? The fact of the matter is, this television show is marketed to kids, kids who parents may not be (are probably not) around to explain to them the problematic parts of the show. I think to understand why the show is problematic, one needs also to look at the original premise of the show.

According to Wikipedia, 18 year old Jessie defies her father by leaving her tiny Texas town to make it big in the Big Apple. Somehow, instead of stardom, she gets the nanny gig instead, where she is entrusted with the lives of four kids, all while looking fabulous, making wise cracks, and barely lifting a finger. I guess the "defying her father" part fits in with other Disney Princess movies: The Little Mermaid, Brave, Tangled, to name a few. And I suppose that it what is supposed to make you root for Jessie. It's supposed to make you think that Jessie is a strong woman, maybe even a feminist. "Look at her! She defied her parents to come to New York City, and look at her now!"

Indeed. Look at her now. She portrays the work of nanny, a very important and very difficult job, as something an 18 year old can fall into without qualifications. She is constantly manipulating or making fun of her charges, especially the one with the funny accent. JESSIE fans can correct me if I'm wrong, but Jessie, despite her young age, isn't shown trying to improve herself by going to college, or learning some other skills pertinent to her job (CPR, anyone?)

I'm super-disappointed, Disney. I will never watch this television show again.

*Edit 5/23/2012* The Huffington Post posted an article about how Disney had to pull an episode of JESSIE after negative audience feedback regarding the way the television show portrayed children with gluten allergies. It just keeps getting better and better, Disney!

My first post...gack!

As the mother of a 6.5 year old girl, I've always been conscious of what she consumes--veggies, check. Fruits--check. No artificial colors or flavors--check (most of the time). It was so easy in the beginning. But as she's gotten older, I've realized that media is another thing on the list of things she consumes, and it's yet another thing I have to be careful about. Is this television show sending the right messages to young girls? To young boys? Is that commercial racist? So I have finally decided to start a blog about all the things that have been brewing in my head about all these television and internet shows, movies, books my daughter is allowed or not allowed to consume. I am hoping to start a conversation with you out there in the hopes of...well, starting a conversation! So let's get talking!