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Videos for Asian American KidsA Review
I try not to let the kids watch too much television, but sometimes I just need a little bit of quiet to get some work done, and the kids do love it. So like many of today’s overworked and overwhelmed parents, I occasionally (okay, often) find myself resorting to parking the kids in front of a video so that I can have one or two hours of peace. However, because television and videos are by definition visual, I worry about the kids feeling left out of the fairy tale when they only see blond, blue-eyed princesses in the standard cartoon fare. Watching only videos featuring animals does not work, because even then they still seem to reduce us to ching-chong Siamese cat bit players (Aristocats) or villains (Lady and the Tramp). I want my girls to be able to imagine all possibilities and to see themselves as part of a multicultural world. We saw Mulan, of course, and bought all the dolls, toys, clothes, party favors, video, and now CD-ROM. But what is available beyond Mulan? Not much -- and you may not be able to find them in a mainstream video or book store. With some searching, however, I have found the following multicultural, Asian, and Asian American videos -- all in English -- that the girls and I think are great. The kids love to watch them over and over again, I can stand watching them over and over again, they feature big-name Asian American talent, and they are have cool characterizations of Asians and Asian Americans that I would not mind the girls emulating. Look for them in your public library, in the Asia for Kids catalogue (www.afk.com), on the Web, or in a specialized children’s book store (next time you’re visiting relatives in California). Animated FolktalesThe Little Mermaid (ISBN
0-7835-5049-9) This is a wonderful series of traditional western fairy tales set all around the world and cast with animated multicultural characters. They feature big name ethnic stars, original songs, witty dialogue, delightful characters, and positive messages; and they allow children of all races to see themselves reflected in familiar and favorite fairy tales. The Little Mermaid takes place underneath Taiwan, with a teenage, totally So-Cal Princess Mija (Tia Carrere) itching for a little freedom from the tight rein of grandma Queen Hul-Muh-Ni (Margaret Cho) and falling in love as only a teenager can with a "totally cute" human prince. She sings a rockin’ "Should I Trade in My Fin (for a chance at true love)," and then makes the deal with Ming the Sea Witch (Amy Hill) to trade her voice for a pair of legs. She is accompanied on her adventure by her best friend, Nori (Gedde Watanabe), a starfish who wants to be a star. Aladdin is set in ancient China and features B.D. Wong as both Aladdin Wong and the fun-loving genie who longs to be a gong-fu master. The genie sings a very catchy and goofy song that will stay with you for days, "I’m a Master of Gong-Fu (I’m not kidding you)." George Takei is the perfectly evil sorcerer, Chang, who tricks Aladdin into the cave to get the lamp, and then tries to marry his dimwitted and constantly hungry son, Dong (Steve Parks), to the beautiful Princess Jade (Joan Chen). The women in this video are powerful—the genie gets beaten up in gong-fu by Aladdin’s mother who is a classic Chinese mother to be feared, and the bad guys get beaten up by Princess Jade who is herself a gong-fu master. Great line for girl power: "What do you think I did in the palace all day? Paint my nails?" In the end, both Aladdin and Princess Jade must use their heads and hearts rather than the shortcuts of magic to triumph over the bad guys. Yeh Shen (ISBN
0793956994) This video (illustrations by Ai-Ling Louie) is based on the book by Ed Young, and tells the story of the Chinese Cinderella, the original Cinderella story that predates the western version by over 1000 years (small bound feet and tiny slippers—ah, of course), which takes place in the stone caves in southern China. Yeh Shen befriends a golden fish who is then killed and eaten by her wicked stepmother. The bones of this fish spirit have magic that can grant Yeh Shen wishes such as enough food to eat and a beautiful dress and golden slippers for the village festival. While leaving the festival, she loses one slipper, and you know the rest of the story. Big name cast includes Margaret Cho, George Takei, and more. Featured on CBS Storybreak. Adventures with MuppetsBig Bird in China (ISBN
0-394-89755-2) Big Bird in China: Big Bird’s desire to find the legendary Chinese phoenix (and talk to her, bird to bird) leads him and his dog Barkley on an exciting adventure across China. Along the way, they befriend an adorable young schoolgirl who helps them find The Great Wall and other famous landmarks. They also visit with Chinese schoolchildren, watch a t’ai chi demonstration, learn some Chinese words and songs, dance with lion dancers, and meet the magical Monkey King. The countryside scenery is breathtaking. Won an Emmy. Big Bird in Japan: Big Bird and his dog, Barkley, get lost while on a tour of Japan and meet a mysterious and sad young woman who helps them rejoin their tour while showing them a more personal side of Japan. At first, they are baffled by how many people in Japan say they are from "Ohio." Then they visit and eat with a family in their home, learn some Japanese words and songs, discover some famous sites, and see a school play about the story of the Bamboo or Moon Princess. Is their new friend this mythical Bamboo Princess, about to be returned to the moon? Narrated FolktalesThe Tiger and the Brahmin (ISBN 1-56204-007-3) Oscar-winning actor Ben Kingsley brilliantly narrates this traditional Indian folktale about a well-meaning Brahmin who makes the unfortunate mistake of freeing a ferocious tiger from its cage. The clever jackal who saves him is hysterical. The haunting musical score is by Ravi Shankar. Drawings are by Kurt Vargo. The Rabbit Ears "We All Have Tales" series is a celebration of the music and storytelling traditions of peoples around the world. However, of the three Asian folktales I viewed, this was the only one with an Asian actor narrator. Asian American Stories Storyteller Robert Kikuchi-Yngojo, of Filipino and Japanese American heritages, and founder of Eth-Noh-Tec in San Francisco, tells funny and engaging Filipino and Japanese stories using an arsenal of comic body postures, "rubber faces," and hand gestures that children (and adults) of all ages can understand and enjoy. He and his wife, Nancy Wong, perform over 400 shows a year, touring schools, universities, libraries, and festivals throughout the nations. They have been featured at the National Storytelling Festival and specialize in Asian American storytelling. (Eth-Noh-Tec, 977 South Van Ness, San Francisco, CA 94110, Voice: 415-282-8705, Fax: 415-282-8795) Documentaries for Kids from Schlessinger Video Productions"Holidays for Children" Video Series This 12 volume series introduces twelve different holidays that are celebrated by Americans, from Cinco de Mayo to Thanksgiving. Chinese New Year is the only Asian holiday included. This 30 minute video explores symbols, customs, rituals, and folklore underlying Chinese New Year. "American Cultures for Children"
(grades K-4) Chinese-American Heritage, Japanese-American Heritage, Korean-American Heritage, and Vietnamese-American Heritage are explored and celebrated in this spunky 12 volume set. Each program includes geography and history segments about the original country or region; kid-hosted tours of neighborhood restaurants, markets, or festivals; foreign language segments in which children count to ten and learn to say hello, goodbye, thank you, and friend; a traditionally animated folktale; easy arts and crafts demonstrations relating to culture; and a traditional folksong performed by children and musicians. Fun and fast-paced, the children in the videos provide faces that make the lessons more immediate. "Multicultural Peoples of North
America" (grades 4-10) Chinese Americans, Japanese Americans, and Korean Americans are the Asian American ethnic groups introduced in this 15 volume series. Each video traces the history of each group’s emigration to North America, showing the unique traditions they brought with them, and who they are today. Each volume discusses when and why each group emigrated, where they settled, which occupations they engaged in, and who the important leaders are within each community. They meet three generations of family members who share memories of their country of origin and their motivations for journeying to North America. Younger family members explore the importance of cultural identity, how it is maintained and how it changes. Interviews with leading historians examine the impact of each ethnic group on the growth of the US and Canada and the contributions of individuals from each group. A Great Resource!
Asia for
Kids Asia for Kids offers hard-to-find resources for the home, classroom or library. Its mission is to make the rich Asian heritages and diverse languages accessible to everyone. Their collection includes books, language textbooks, videos, audio cassettes, software, CD-ROMs, dolls, games, posters, crafts, t-shirts and resource materials for parents and teachers. The countries/cultures covered are: China, Japan, Korea, Vietnam, the Philippines, Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, Taiwan, Thailand, Hmong, India, Asian American, Bangladesh, Pakistan, the Middle East, Bali, Indonesia, Nepal, Burma/Myanmar, and Tibet. They offer the materials in many languages: English, Chinese (Mandarin & Cantonese), Japanese, Korean, Hmong, Vietnamese, Lao, Khmer (Cambodian), Tagalog, Thai, Spanish, Arabic, French & Indonesian. Since the fall of 1995, the Asia for Kids catalog has grown to over 1,000 products and a 64-page full color catalog in its eleventh edition.
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