I think the values of diversity and accepting others are very valuable lessons for him to absorb.Įngaging and well crafted, this series combines fun stories, zany characters, and important literacy skills into a 30-minute package that kids will love and parents will applaud. Overall, even though I think the show is aimed at elementary school kids, I don't have any problems letting my preschool son watch it. (But my parenting philosophy is not to protect my child from the world or keep him innocent longer, but to prepare him for adulthood, so I know I approach stuff like this differently than others.) My son has aggression problems, yet I allow him to watch this (and I talk about it with him), and it hasn't made him more aggressive. (And yes, I've been called sassy before - I turned out ok, but I tell it like I see it - not a trait much tolerated in females in certain parts of my country - possibly the source of the other reviewers' problem with Word Girl's attitude and behavior?)Īs for the violence - it's cartoonish and totally non-realistic. Personally, I like Word Girl's personality. Again, no problems in my opinion - they are villains after all, and telling villains to stop committing a crime or telling them you're going to stop them is what superheroes do. She also bosses the villains around and even arrests them. So as Word Girl she isn't deferential to any adult (though I don't think she is disrespectful - just outspoken and confident). As Word Girl, she is treated basically as a pint-sized adult - the equal of anyone in the community. As Becky, Word Girl is always respectful to adults, though at times she is forward and bold sometimes (again, I don't think this is bad). I like that the heroine in this show is confident and strong and well-respected. I don't want to raise my daughters to be meek and submissive nor do I want to raise my son to expect women to be meek and submissive. Sometimes the vocabulary teaching is a bit overt, however.Īs for reviewers saying Word Girl is sassy: I'm not sure what they mean unless they mean by sassy "willingness to speak one's opinion, confident, bold and lively, impudent." Except for the impudent part, I don't think any of that is bad. There are two words per episode, and the storyline integrates the words. The mayor isn't white either (though he's rather bumbling as he can't give a speech without reading verbatim from notecards). Becky's mother is the District Attorney, so they are not "marginal" either. This is never pointed out in the show it's not made into any kind of deal - it just is. I also love that the main character, Word Girl (Becky Botsford) and Becky's family, are not white. It features a female superhero, and those are in extremely short supply in any TV programming. At my house we love this show! My son (4) really loves superheroes and after trying to play superhero with him and he telling me I couldn't (pretend to) be one because I was a girl and girls couldn't be superheroes, I was very pleased to find this show.
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