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DD6 is wrestling (with a sophistication that frightens me) with her feelings about darker skinned people. She nailed it when she said "Most of the people I know are white, so I have a picture in my head of what people should look like." She has decided that she is ugly because she herself is dark.
I would really love movie recommendations that portray people of color in fun engaging stories. Need not be "kids" movies, but nothing gritty or disturbing. So far all we've found is Totoro. I'm thinking of trying her on some Bollywood. Beyond that, I'm stuck.
We liked the classic "Jungle Book" movie from Disney. And the old "Saddle Club" series on PBS had a fairly diverse cast (it's a great show all around - too bad there were only 3 seasons ...)
Movies - - Akeelah and the Bee (2006), - Gifted Hands (2009), with Cuba Gooding Jr portraying the story of world-renowned pediatric neurosurgeon, Dr. Ben Carson, - The Pursuit of Happyness (2007), with Will Smith and his son portraying the story of Chris Gardner raising his son while overcoming many obstacles, - The Blind Side (2009), inspired by the story of Michael Oher, is a story of struggle and success... and the interplay between talent and opportunity. - 42 (2013), the story of baseball legend Jackie Robinson.
Books - - Amazing Grace by Mary Hoffman, illustrated by Caroline Binch - There are many lists and books featuring Black and African American founders, heroes, inventors, and role models, easily found online with a web search. - Also possibly of interest: a post to a similar question can be found here.
Just found "Polly" (made in 1989 and starring Keshia Knight Pulliam and Phylicia Rashad who were both great in the Cosby show). Looks like a fun family movie.
-Bend it Like Beckham -Akeelah and the Bee -West Side Story -Remember the Titans (not sure if it's age appropriate?) -Princess and the Frog -Home (coming out soon - ) -Annie (coming out soon) -Earth to Echo (out now) -Color of Friendship -The Cheetah Girls movies -Jump In! (Disney original) -Dora movies/TV shows -Mindy Kaling Project is likely too adult, but she's a good role model. Writer, comedian, has her own show...hilarious
Movies that highlight different countries/cultures: -Aladdin -Around the World in 80 Days -The Kite Runner (may not be age appropriate)
We don't watch TV or movies. So, hard for me to recommend anything regarding movies. But, why does she have to watch movies to get a positive image about colored skin? She can read books about people who are non-white (my son discovered Dr Martin Luther King, Harriet Tubman, Rosa Parks etc on BrainPop), watch TV shows about them etc. Has she watched Dora and Diego when she was younger? Then, there is the Cosby show which I remember from long ago. My suggestion is to make her peer group wider to include kids who are non-white so that she will get to know others who are of other skin color and understand that all colors are OK and beautiful. I would suggest that you enroll her in enrichment activities like the local chess clubs, math enrichment schools, lego leagues, science camps, martial arts school, swim team etc where there are more Asians and Indians participating than any other race in my neck of the woods.
(Ashley: I'm asking this group for movie suggestions because that's what I would like help with right now, not because I think that's the only avenue. Thanks for your input.)
Kids can come to odd conclusions on this kind of thing. My son's preschool class was not very diverse. The two kids in his class who caused him a lot of grief were the two who had dark skin leading him to conclude at four that kids with dark skin are meanies.
He also spent a day at work with me once and met two female judges and a female mayor. This lead him to lament "Well, that isn't fair. I can't be anyone important unless I am a girl!"
The character's in the Pokemon cartoons are all different shades and often have crazy colored hair.
-Lilo & Stitch, the main characters are native Polynesians & a blue alien.
-Whale Rider - an wonderful movie about a young Mauri Girl in New Zealand who make a amazing unsung hero. (The young actress got a Oscar nomination.) It's rated PG-13 but doesn't deserve it.
While Bend it Like Beckham is a great movie, I'm not sure how appropriate it is for a 6 year old. It's a wonderful preteen, or teen movie on the other hand.
Bend It Like Beckham -- do you remember there being anything very explicit? My kid knows about sex, but I don't want her to get any, um, visuals. Ditto for violence.
Parents need to know there is an implied sexual situation between a couple committed to marrying each other. Homosexuality is discussed. Several of the under 21-year-old characters do have a beer or a glass of wine, however they drink responsibly and are of legal age in the UK/Germany, where the scenes take place. Jess hides her soccer playing from her family and lies to protect her secret.
Bend It Like Beckham -- do you remember there being anything very explicit? My kid knows about sex, but I don't want her to get any, um, visuals. Ditto for violence.
It's more what the theme of the movie than particularly what is shown explicitly. To be honest my kids wouldn't have found it boring until they were a bit older & more mature. It's about two older teenage girls and while the main part of the movie is about the one girl breaking her family taboo and playing football (soccer), they do talk about boys & sex. And the girls family is upset because they think her friend is a lesbian.
IMO it's a very good film, empowering for young women/girls, and not particularly explicit. But I would personally suggest it more for kids 10+.
Interesting the web-site common-sense web site suggests, about 13 for Bend It Like Beckham, and 11+ for Whale Rider. Looks at the reviews and use your own best judgement.
There's also the adorable and endearing Disney character Doc McStuffins, a little girl who is doctor to her toys and stuffed animals. Through the care she provides, each TV episode, video, and book conveys a life lesson.
Eddie Murphy has a few family-oriented comedies that feature children of color... Daddy Day Care, Dr. Doolittle, Haunted Mansion.
I almost hesitate to mention these, becaue they're terrible, but my DD likes them, so yours might. Disney is doing a pretty good job of mixing races on their TV shows, and two that feature positive black girls in particular are Jesse (that girl is right about your DDs age) and Ant Farm (which also happens to be about gifted kids).
Not a movie suggestion, but can you get to some diverse neighborhoods and play in their playgrounds? We are fortunate that we live in a very diverse area and my children really play with every imaginable type of child with regard to race, religion, ses, family composition (gay, blended, single parent families, for ex). If you could somehow visit a more diverse area, I think there is no substitution for actually just getting to know different people. Otherwise, there are some good suggestions here. I particularly recommend Doc McStuffins. My DS8 still likes to watch it (but he will deny it in public).
Ours is a transracial family so we are very invested in finding movies, books, schools, etc. that are diverse. If you are looking for books, librarians are fantastic at finding books with minority characters. The library we most often go to is used to me begging them to find more books with female heroines who aren't white.
Also not a movie (yet) but the current events news regarding 13-year old Little League star player Mo'ne Davis and the Dragons may be inspirational to many girls.
It's OK to look for "representative" movies and books, but I also expect my children to take interest in stories whose main characters are not of their race and sex.
From "The Souls of Black Folk" by W.E.B. Du Bois:
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I sit with Shakespeare, and he winces not. Across the color line I move arm and arm with Balzac and Dumas, where smiling men and welcoming women glide in gilded halls. From out of the caves of evening that swing between the strong-limbed Earth and the tracery of stars, I summon Aristotle and Aurelius and what soul I will, and they come all graciously with no scorn nor condescension. So, wed with Truth, I dwell above the veil. Is this the life you grudge us, O knightly America? Is this the life you long to change into the dull red hideousness of Georgia? Are you so afraid lest peering from this high Pisgah, between Philistine and Amalekite, we sight the Promised Land?
take interest in stories whose main characters are not of their race and sex.
Yes! Some have called this the concept of "mirror books" and "window books"... intriguing imagery, I think.
The concept is examined in this blog from Dr. Joy Lawson Davis, crediting Dr. Rudine Sims Bishop with the concept of "mirror books" and "window books": Mirrors for reflecting one's own culture, and Windows for providing a glimpse into other cultures.
Have you considered Star Trek (either the original series or the Next Generation? There are numerous characters who have different skin colors and also are aliens. That always seemed more important to me than skin color even when I got older. Unfortunately the original series is somewhat sexist by today's standards IMO but many of the stories remain interesting and DD11 and I get a kick out of talking about how Captain Kirk was always hitting on the surprisingly attractive and humanoid alien women.
I wish that I could say I have kept a list, but I just grab the books when I find them and return them. If you Google "books for kids of color" or "books with Asian characters" and things like that, there are all kinds of great lists. It is amazing how few books feature kids with brown skin (be it Asian, Hispanic, African American, etc).NPR has done several pieces on the problem.
I wish that I could say I have kept a list, but I just grab the books when I find them and return them.
It is often advisable for parents of gifted kids to keep a list of books read. Because you especially mention library books, parents may be interested to know that libraries may track circulation - a list of the books checked out on an individual library card may be available to the card holder. This allows the cardholder to quickly obtain a list. Especially where there has been a helpful librarian making suggestions as to selections, such a reading list may be valuable for one's own use or to share with others.
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If you Google "books for kids of color" or "books with Asian characters" and things like that, there are all kinds of great lists.
Similar tips here and here. So many books, so little time! One list shows 620 books, another 147, and one link is a list of lists! If a local library does not have a title of interest, books may often be provided from other locations by an inter-library loan program.
Because you especially mention library books, parents may be interested to know that libraries may track circulation - a list of the books checked out on each library card may be available to the card holder.
I don't understand what you are suggesting. I hope that the only lists of books checked out that I can access are those of my children and me.
Also for teens/adults, The Hundred Foot Journey, produced by Steven Spielberg, Oprah Winfrey, and Juliet Blake. The Wikipedia article quotes Oprah as mentioning in interviews, "Food blends cultures and allows us to have just a little peek into someone else's life... " and "understand that you’re really more alike than you are different".
Bostonian, indigo was referring to greenlotus not tracking what books they checked out and suggesting the library will have tracked what they checked out for them.
Whoever suggested Annedroids... thanks! We watched a few episodes and found that both our almost 4 DS ... and our 23 month old DD were entranced by the show. (And this is the *only* show so far that DD watched a whole episode and cried when we turned the TV off... every other show, she got bored after 10 minutes other than some of the Peg plus Cat problems). I have no idea how much our 23 month old understands... but it was interesting that this is the only show I have seen that really caught her attention.
In a sort of related vein, does anybody remember the biographical movie "The Girl Who Spelled Freedom", about a Cambodian refugee who (almost?) won the Spelling Bee in the 80s? I loved that movie when I was a kid and recently tried to find a copy, but to no avail.
In a sort of related vein, does anybody remember the biographical movie "The Girl Who Spelled Freedom", about a Cambodian refugee who (almost?) won the Spelling Bee in the 80s? I loved that movie when I was a kid and recently tried to find a copy, but to no avail.
Yes! Here's a bit about the Disney movie and a 2013 article updating readers on the life of the main character, Linn Yann. Time for a re-release on DVD? Oddly, I did not find the existence of this movie acknowledged on the list of "All Movies" on the Disney website. The movies appear alphabetically, I looked primarily under "G" (Girl) and "T" (The).
MegMeg my daughter was adopted transracially and there is a lot of discussion on this topic in some groups I am a part of. Of course diverse characters in the movies and books she sees are important, but even more important is to see herself reflected in the community. We purposefully sought out a pediatrician of color, for example, and work to cultivate friendships with families and children of color. It may be more difficult if the child is one of very few kids at school with brown skin, based on what I have observed.
Re: Bend It Like Beckham, we love that movie. My 7 yr. old has seen it and the references to sex go over her head--she loves the soccer storyline. I agree that it is empowering. My older daughter and I got a big laugh out of a line during a sari-fitting about "juicy juicy mangoes" that we frequently quote.
edited to add: sorry, didn't mean to stray from your original request! also sent you a PM
"my daughter was adopted transracially and there is a lot of discussion on this topic in some groups I am a part of. Of course diverse characters in the movies and books she sees are important, but even more important is to see herself reflected in the community. We purposefully sought out a pediatrician of color, for example, and work to cultivate friendships with families and children of color. It may be more difficult if the child is one of very few kids at school with brown skin, based on what I have observed."
Just wanted to say "hi" to another transracially adoptive family. We also have done what you mention above. We are lucky that our school is a diverse one, but now we are finding that because of the gifted issue, the school doesn't seem to be the right fit. Have you found that being a transracial family - which means that you are already outside the norm plus, the giftedness, outside the norm, has brought more work to the family? Sometimes it feels exhausting. BTW - next time I watch the Bend It movie I am watching for the mango scene!!
We're lucky that we live in a racially diverse faculty housing neighborhood, including several families of DD's racial group. In fact, the kid next door is the exact same mix as her, and the two of them look like twins.
Unfortunately, though, the largest ethnic minority in our region is hardly present at all in our neighborhood, and her school has almost no racial diversity.
In our case, though, I really think it's the media representation that is warping her sense of what's "normal." She had a breakthrough moment watching the Brandy version of Cinderella (thanks to whoever recommended that!) where she said, why aren't the actors white? And I said, why should they be white? Why do they always make movies with white people? Do we really need more white people in movies? White people! White people! And she laughed and got it, and it's been a non-issue since.
(We are not an adoptive family, BTW. DD is homemade, but with a donor from a different racial group than me. I don't know how/whether the adoption issue interfaces with these other issues of belonging.)
Avatar: The Last Airbender is a fantastic animated series for anyone of almost any age. There are some animated fights that make it inappropriate for very young children, though. It takes place in a fantasy world heavily inspired by Asian cultures, and incorporates distinct cultural differences between the groups of people depicted.
Why do they always make movies with white people? Do we really need more white people in movies?
Why do they almost always make movies with young, slim people? The honest answer is that moviemakers will cast whoever they think will draw the largest audience. It's not a moral question.
Avatar: The Last Airbender is a fantastic animated series for anyone of almost any age. There are some animated fights that make it inappropriate for very young children, though. It takes place in a fantasy world heavily inspired by Asian cultures, and incorporates distinct cultural differences between the groups of people depicted.
That's right. Most martial arts based cartoons have non-white cultures depicted in them - I love the Avatar series. I would like to mention the Kung Fu Panda series too because it depicts a different culture (though with animals as main characters).
Ok - so bumping this as I have come across a couple of new ones.
"Blaze and the Monster Machines" - a little boy (A.J.) drives around having crazy STEM inspired adventures with an anthropomorphic monster truck. (There are a lot of STEM errors in the episodes I have seen - hydrofoils rise up out of the water only when moving, and they had the hull exposed all the time). But my kid likes it. Mostly because there is a little boy driving around in a talking monster truck.
"Sarah Solves It" - (new pilot show from amazon - seems a little like Peg+Cat).
I will add one! Big Hero 6. Not only is the main character Asian, but his friends are a mix of colors. PLUS, they are all "heroes" because of their high intelligence. The main character is only 14 and already a high school graduate. I thought it was going to be the usual snarky cartoon, and instead I found a very sweet, moving film. My girls (9 and 10) were amused when I boo hooed after a character died. They loved the film!
I haven't seen it in a way long time - but I recall Stand and Deliver (based on a true story) as being a powerful movie showing the insidious power of discrimination and the even greater power of a teacher whose students learn to reject limitations others try to impose. It is not a fun kid movie - but I recall it as uplifting.
Not sure about age range - but I tend to stretch a bit when a movie is based on fact and depicts things my kid is asking about.
[ETA - I wonder what Jaime Escalante would have thought about common core math .....]
Big Hero 6 - yay! "Brandy version" Cinderella -- also yay!
If you can find a video copy, I highly recommend the movie "Wadjda".
"The Painting" ("Le Tableau") on DVD: French animated film (dubbed or subbed in English) with three classes or races: the fully painted "Allduns", the "Halfies", and the untouchable "Sketchies". (Though the characters are mostly white-ish looking paintings, one fun major character, Lola, is non-white.)
I'll also mention a couple of books that might fly under the radar:
Books by Maiya Williams (first African-American officer of The Harvard Lampoon), including her time-travel series that starts with "The Golden Hour": protagonists are two sets of siblings, one set African American. First book they travel to the French Revolution, second to Cleopatra, third is Wild West. These are the sort of interesting books that tend to appeal to bright kids, but break the stereotype that non-white protagonists only "belong" in books focusing on racial issues. Suitable for middle-grader readers -- the violence (French Revolution, after all!) is pretty restrained/tastefully handled.
"Gregor the Overlander" series, Suzanne Collins. Before she wrote "The Hunger Games", this is a series for younger (that is, middle-grade) readers. One gets the impression that the protagonist and his family are not necessarily white. Strong anti-racism metaphor/anti-war message.
The "Princeless" comic books, Jeremy Whitley -- author inspired by wanting something for his own mixed-race daughter. Directly takes on stereotypical representations of girls, and race, in fairy tale type stories.
The Courageous Princess, Rod Espinosa -- graphic novel; main character Rose has rosy-brown skin, a white mother, Middle Eastern father. Author attempts to mix Christian/Islamic religious elements too.
A Posse of Princesses, Sherwood Smith -- don't be put off by the cover art which shows the princesses as pretty much "white"; in the text, the princesses are distinctly of different races and colors and cultures. When one princess gets kidnapped, the other princesses set out to rescue her. Really fun.
The City trilogy, starting with "City of Fire", by Laurence Yep -- mixes many races and cultures and mythologies.
Into the Volcano, Don Wood -- graphic novel, visually stunning, the protagonist boys have mixed Hawaiian and white ancestry. Middle-grade; note some kids-in-peril scenes and death imagery.
Cleopatra's Moon, Vicky Alvear Shecter -- historical fiction about Cleopatra's daughter by an author who really knows the era (she's also written non-fiction about Cleopatra & Egyptian mythology). Features important biracial romances. Middle-school age on up, as it does have some violent and sexual content, though quite tastefully handled.
The Extra, Kathryn Lasky -- historical fiction with a Gypsy girl protagonist who is in one of Nazi filmmaker Leni Reifenstahl's films during World War 2; middle school age.
Rick Riordan's Egyptian gods series (The Kane Chronicles) has some interesting discussions. The main characters are mixed-race siblings, one of whom happened to come out rather light-skinned while the other is darker. There are a number of places in the book where the characters discuss the kinds of assumptions people make when meeting each child, the different ways the two kids can be treated, and how each child reacts to the way others react to their sibling.
If you're looking to expose your kids to other cultures, my son really liked Like Stars on Earth, or Taare Zameen Par, an Indian movie about an 8 year old boy with dyslexia. It's nearly three hours long, with occasional unexpected singing, yet my DS was glued all the way through.
More good movies: 1) The movie Lion (2016), based on Saroo Brierly's memoir "A Long Way Home" may also be of interest.
2) The animated Disney movie Moana (2016), based on Polynesian culture/history/folklore may also be of interest. Disney's official trailer here on YouTube.
3) The movie Concussion (2015), with Will Smith portraying Dr. Bennet Omalu who discovered the connection between concussions and CTE (Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy).
These movies are now available on DVD or Blu-ray for home viewing.
get out 2017 is a good movie about black people too.
I will disagree. As a horror movie similar to "The Stepford Wives" of the 1970's, "Get Out" does not illuminate any culture, nor is it inspiring, etc, but rather involves terror, science fiction, and predation.
"Get Out" is rated R and is far from being a match to the OP's request for:
Fact-checking summary: History -vs- Hollywood provides Real -vs- Reel comparisons between facts of Phiona Mutesi's life, and the Disney movie's portrayal.
I agree about Big Hero 6, Moana, Mulan and the Princess and the Frog. Also, it's probably a little scary and mature for a six year old, but I thought Spider-man:Homecoming was nicely diverse although the lead is white. There are a lot of different skin colors represented at Peter Parker's science magnet high school but no one is playing a 'trope' based on their ethnicity.
