Reflection: How does the growth arc of Disney stars such as Lindsey Lohan, Vanessa Hudgins, and Miley Cyrus impact tweens?
Subjects: Teen and Tween Idols, Media Messages, Tween Fashion Trends,
You have to commend the Disney factory’s ability not only to consistently create stars like Lohan, Hudgins, and Cyrus but to package their stardom into a variety of commercial items consisting of everything from bedroom sets to clothing lines. From a business viewpoint, Disney has figured out how to spin straw into gold. Disney cross promotes their stars by giving them TV shows, recording contracts, featuring their songs in Disney movies and on Radio Disney, sending them on concert tours and selling tie-in merchandise in Disney stores. In short, “the Disney Teen Machine has become a finely tuned profit pump” of which tweens are the main consumers (Luscombe, 2009, para. 4).
Seemingly a no-lose formula, the stars that Disney has so carefully cultivated into tween idols eventually grow up, change their minds, get less cute, rebel, and make choices their fans or parents of fans don't approve of (Luscombe, 2009). Take the success of Miley Cyrus who in 2009 according to Forbes was the fifth most Googled person, has a net worth of over 25 million, and is a global brand name (Miller, 2009). On her path to adulthood, she has pole danced at the Teen Choice Awards, been videoed by TMZ giving a lap dance to a 44 year old film director, and has posed on the cover of Vanity Fair dressed in a sheet. This kind of off and on stage activity is troubling in a time when girls as well as boys are becoming sexualized at earlier ages resulting in them becoming more critical of their bodies, applying makeup and wearing racier clothes (Hoffman, 2010).
Tween idols often set tween fashion trends and just as tween idols are beginning to act older, tween fashion is trending towards young girls dressing older. They are dressing older, pushing themselves into sexualized terrain, which is propagated by tween fashion lines that peddle items like pleather bandeau bras and sequined hot pants (Morris, 2010). The use of mascara and eyeliner by girls ages 8 to 12 has risen from 10 percent in 2007 to 18 percent in 2009 (Quenqua, 2010). While the use of lipstick for that same age group has risen from 10 percent to 15 percent during the same time period (Quenqua, 2010).
The influence of tween idols may seem impossible to battle against but Holsen (2010) reports that tweens themselves are choosing to move away from idols such as Cyrus as a result of her actions. Holsen (2010) suggests that parents use Cyrus’ transition from teen idol to sexual icon as a teachable moment. Whether about TV stars, music, fashion, or makeup it is important for parents to talk about issues with their children, helping them to think through the different messages that they are receiving.
Saturday, November 13, 2010
Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day (Book)
Viorst, J. (1972). Alexander and the terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day. New York, NY: Antheneum Books. ISBN: 0-689-71173-5
Interest Level: Ages 3 to 7
Genre: Picture Book
Subjects/Themes: Bad days, Grouchiness, Humor
Plot: We follow Alexander during his very bad day. His day starts off bad, waking up with gum in his hair, continues being bad with a trip to the dentist and ends bad with his night light burning out. Alexander tries and tries to tell everyone that he is having a terrible day and that he's going to move to Australia but nobody seems to care. In the end, Alexander's mom tells him that "some days are like that, even in Australia" offering him some understanding.
Personal Thoughts: The illustrations, done in pencil, express the grouchiness and frustration Alexander is feeling throughout the day. Some of the bad things that happen to Alexander are a result of his grouchiness, such as getting into a fight with a friend, and some are a result of simple bad luck, such as going to the dentist, as the reader will understand. Young children will relate to the frustration and anger that Alexander feels. The fact that no one is giving sympathy and that Alexander must simply make it through the day is more realistic than any other "happy" ending. A good way to help children deal with their bad days.
Awards/Recognition:
Georgia Children's Book Award: Picture Storybook Award (1977)
Other Books by the Author:
Alexander, Who Used to be Rich Last Sunday (1977); Alexander, Who Is Not (Do You Hear Me? I Mean It!) Going to Move (1995); The Good-bye Book (1988); Super-Completely and Totally the Messiest (2001);
Interest Level: Ages 3 to 7
Genre: Picture Book
Subjects/Themes: Bad days, Grouchiness, Humor
Plot: We follow Alexander during his very bad day. His day starts off bad, waking up with gum in his hair, continues being bad with a trip to the dentist and ends bad with his night light burning out. Alexander tries and tries to tell everyone that he is having a terrible day and that he's going to move to Australia but nobody seems to care. In the end, Alexander's mom tells him that "some days are like that, even in Australia" offering him some understanding.
Personal Thoughts: The illustrations, done in pencil, express the grouchiness and frustration Alexander is feeling throughout the day. Some of the bad things that happen to Alexander are a result of his grouchiness, such as getting into a fight with a friend, and some are a result of simple bad luck, such as going to the dentist, as the reader will understand. Young children will relate to the frustration and anger that Alexander feels. The fact that no one is giving sympathy and that Alexander must simply make it through the day is more realistic than any other "happy" ending. A good way to help children deal with their bad days.
Awards/Recognition:
Georgia Children's Book Award: Picture Storybook Award (1977)
Other Books by the Author:
Alexander, Who Used to be Rich Last Sunday (1977); Alexander, Who Is Not (Do You Hear Me? I Mean It!) Going to Move (1995); The Good-bye Book (1988); Super-Completely and Totally the Messiest (2001);
One Duck Stuck (Book)
Root, P. (1998). One duck stuck. Cambridge, MA: Candlewick Press. ISBN: 0-7636-0334-1
Interest Level: Ages 5 to 3
Genre: Picture Book
Subjects/Themes: Animals, Counting, Stories in Rhyme,
Plot: We start with one duck stuck in muck. A repeating line of "Help! Help! Who can help?" brings different animals to help the duck. Readers count to ten as two fish, three moose, fourcrickets, and so on, try to help get the duck unstuck. Eventually it takes all the animals working together as a team to free the duck.
Personal Thoughts: A cute cumulative counting tale. What you would think at first glance is just another simple counting book is actually full of different rhyming words and funny sounds. The animals are energetic, like children, yelling "We can! We can!" when responding to who can help the duck. The left side of the page has the number in both word and number form directly next to the appropriate number of animals. The illustrations are bright and colorful done in gouache (an Italian type of richly pigmented watercolor).
Awards/Recognition:
Oppenheim Toy Portfolio Gold Award Winner
NCTE Notable Children's Book in Language Arts
Parents Magazine Best Books of the Year List
Author Bio and Bibliography
Other Books by the Author: Aunt Nancy and Old Man Trouble (1996); Hop! (2005) My Review; Kiss the Cow (2000)
Interest Level: Ages 5 to 3
Genre: Picture Book
Subjects/Themes: Animals, Counting, Stories in Rhyme,
Plot: We start with one duck stuck in muck. A repeating line of "Help! Help! Who can help?" brings different animals to help the duck. Readers count to ten as two fish, three moose, fourcrickets, and so on, try to help get the duck unstuck. Eventually it takes all the animals working together as a team to free the duck.
Personal Thoughts: A cute cumulative counting tale. What you would think at first glance is just another simple counting book is actually full of different rhyming words and funny sounds. The animals are energetic, like children, yelling "We can! We can!" when responding to who can help the duck. The left side of the page has the number in both word and number form directly next to the appropriate number of animals. The illustrations are bright and colorful done in gouache (an Italian type of richly pigmented watercolor).
Awards/Recognition:
Oppenheim Toy Portfolio Gold Award Winner
NCTE Notable Children's Book in Language Arts
Parents Magazine Best Books of the Year List
Author Bio and Bibliography
Other Books by the Author: Aunt Nancy and Old Man Trouble (1996); Hop! (2005) My Review; Kiss the Cow (2000)
Friday, November 12, 2010
The Wide-Awake Princess (Book)
Baker, E. D. (2010). The wide-awake princess. New York, NY: Bloomsbury Books for Young Readers. ISBN: 978-1-59990-487-0
Interest Level: Ages 10 and 14
Genre: Fantasy Fiction
Subjects/Themes: Magic, Medieval Worlds, Princesses/Princes,
Plot: Annie is the younger daughter of the King and Queen of Treecrest and blessed by a fairy to never be affected by magic. Unfortunately she also neutralizes any magic she touches which causes most people to avoid Annie in case she makes the magic that keeps them beautiful or lucky to fade. Their older daughter, Princess Gwen, was blessed with beauty but cursed to sleep 100 years after touching a spinning wheel. Gwen finally touches one on her 16th birthday and everyone in the castle but Annie ends up falling asleep. Worried about invaders taking over the kingdom while her family sleeps, Annie goes in search of a prince to kiss Gwen awake early. Annie starts searching the nearby kingdoms to round up all the princes she can find in order to increase the odds of one being Gwen's true love and break the curse.
Genre: Fantasy Fiction
Subjects/Themes: Magic, Medieval Worlds, Princesses/Princes,
Plot: Annie is the younger daughter of the King and Queen of Treecrest and blessed by a fairy to never be affected by magic. Unfortunately she also neutralizes any magic she touches which causes most people to avoid Annie in case she makes the magic that keeps them beautiful or lucky to fade. Their older daughter, Princess Gwen, was blessed with beauty but cursed to sleep 100 years after touching a spinning wheel. Gwen finally touches one on her 16th birthday and everyone in the castle but Annie ends up falling asleep. Worried about invaders taking over the kingdom while her family sleeps, Annie goes in search of a prince to kiss Gwen awake early. Annie starts searching the nearby kingdoms to round up all the princes she can find in order to increase the odds of one being Gwen's true love and break the curse.
Personal Thoughts: Baker is a great author, mostly specializing in fairytale remakes. The Wide-Awake Princess is mostly a spin-off of the sleeping beauty tale but it also has touches from the princess and the pea tale, the Rapunzel tale, and the Hansel and Gretel tale. Annie is a strong female character who uses her brain and due to her lack of magic is pretty self-sufficient compared to other characters in the book. Liam, Annie's companion on her quest, is a prince in disguise and also quite resourceful. The characters and their relationships with one another are realistic. Annie's relationship with her family is strained because they fear her draining their magic. Liam also has problems with his family. The other characters that Annie meets in her travels are all different types of kind, mean, greedy, selfish, fake, depressed and excited. A Must Read for fantasy and fairytale fans.
Other Books by the Author: The Frog Princess (2002); Once Upon A Curse (2004); Wings: A Fairy Tale (2008)
Author's Website: E.D. Baker's Book Website
Dear Deer (Book)
Barretta, G. (2007). Dear deer: A book of homophones. New York , NY
Interest Level: Ages 3 to 7
Genre: Picture Book
Subjects/Themes: Homophones, Animals, Phonics, Humor,
Plot: Aunt Ant has just moved to the zoo and is writing a letter to her friend deer about all the different things that the zoo animals are up to. On each page Aunt Ant describes a different animal using homophones (words that sound the same but are spelled differently). The descriptions are funny and sometimes a bit tongue twisting. Also available in Braille.
Genre: Picture Book
Subjects/Themes: Homophones, Animals, Phonics, Humor,
Plot: Aunt Ant has just moved to the zoo and is writing a letter to her friend deer about all the different things that the zoo animals are up to. On each page Aunt Ant describes a different animal using homophones (words that sound the same but are spelled differently). The descriptions are funny and sometimes a bit tongue twisting. Also available in Braille.
Personal Thoughts: The illustrations in this book, done with watercolors, are colorful and detailed. They help to illustrated the humor in the story and explain the homophones that are being used pretty well. For example, "The WHALE was ALLOWED to WAIL ALOUD," shows a whale crying in his tank. The homophones in each sentence are distinguished by an All-Caps typeface for easy recognition. With only one sentence per page, I still find myself slowly enunciating each word due to the presence of homophones in the same sentence. So you might want to practice more than a few times before reading the story aloud. For an extended discussion, try asking the children what homophones they remember from the story or other ones they can think of on their own.
Awards/Recognition:
One of Parenting magazine's "Mom-Tested Books of the Year" (2007)
NCTE Notable Children's Book in Language Arts (2008)
National Braille Press Book of the Month (October 2009)
Author Website: Gene Barretta's Website
Other Books by the Author: Now & Ben: the modern inventions of Benjamin Franklin (2006); Neo Leo: the ageless ideas of Leonardo Da Vinci (2009); Jack the Tripper (2008)
Awards/Recognition:
One of Parenting magazine's "Mom-Tested Books of the Year" (2007)
NCTE Notable Children's Book in Language Arts (2008)
National Braille Press Book of the Month (October 2009)
Author Website: Gene Barretta's Website
Other Books by the Author: Now & Ben: the modern inventions of Benjamin Franklin (2006); Neo Leo: the ageless ideas of Leonardo Da Vinci (2009); Jack the Tripper (2008)
Baby Signs (Board Book)
Allen, J. (2007). Baby signs : a baby-sized guide to speaking with sign language. New York, NY: Dial Books for Young Readers. ISBN: 978-0-8037-3193-6
Interest Level: Ages 3 & under
Genre: Board Book
Subjects/Themes: Babies, Sign Lanuage, First Words
Plot: This board book introduces young babies and toddlers to 13 different signs for some everyday concepts. Those signs are: Milk, Water, More, All done, Diaper, Dog, Cat, It hurts, Help me, Mommy, Daddy, Book, and Sleepy. The book suggests introducing these concepts to a child as young as six months.
Personal Thoughts: This book has soft and colorful crayon illustrations that depict a baby performing the different hand signs. On the bottom of the page, the phrase or word is given with a written description of how to perform the sign. Next to that is a step-by-step illustration of the hand motion. While some of the words/phrases are standards in a baby's vocabulary (Mommy, Daddy, Milk, Sleepy), some might not be so useful depending on the household (Dog, Cat) though they are fun to sign.
Other Books by the Author: Princess Party (2009)
Author's Blog: Joy Allen's Blog
Similar Items: Baby Einstein: See and Sign with Baby [DVD] (2007); Wow First Words: Teach your baby sign language [Board Book] (2007); My First Signs by Kubler [Board Book] (2004);
Interest Level: Ages 3 & under
Genre: Board Book
Subjects/Themes: Babies, Sign Lanuage, First Words
Plot: This board book introduces young babies and toddlers to 13 different signs for some everyday concepts. Those signs are: Milk, Water, More, All done, Diaper, Dog, Cat, It hurts, Help me, Mommy, Daddy, Book, and Sleepy. The book suggests introducing these concepts to a child as young as six months.
Personal Thoughts: This book has soft and colorful crayon illustrations that depict a baby performing the different hand signs. On the bottom of the page, the phrase or word is given with a written description of how to perform the sign. Next to that is a step-by-step illustration of the hand motion. While some of the words/phrases are standards in a baby's vocabulary (Mommy, Daddy, Milk, Sleepy), some might not be so useful depending on the household (Dog, Cat) though they are fun to sign.
Other Books by the Author: Princess Party (2009)
Author's Blog: Joy Allen's Blog
Similar Items: Baby Einstein: See and Sign with Baby [DVD] (2007); Wow First Words: Teach your baby sign language [Board Book] (2007); My First Signs by Kubler [Board Book] (2004);
Wednesday, November 10, 2010
Lucy Rose, Here's the Thing About Me (Book)
Kelly, K. (2004). Lucy Rose, here's the thing about me. New York, NY: Delacorte Press. ISBN: 0-440-42026-1
Interest Level: Ages 8 to 11
Genre: Realistic Fiction
Subjects/Themes: 8 Year Olds, Diaries, Divorced Parents, New School, Moving,
Plot: Lucy Rose has just moved to a new city and started at a new school after her parent's divorce. She is struggling with all the changes in her life. At first Lucy Rose doesn't think her life will get any better, but little by little she makes new friends and starts to find school enjoyable. After one attempt and another to babysit the class guinea pig, she finally gets to take it home over the break. She even makes friends with the other new boy that kept teasing her.
Personal Thoughts: A refreshing first person narrative. What I really like about this novel is that a lot of the emotional struggles revolve around Lucy Rose personally. Her parents seem to be having a relatively calm divorce (no fighting or mean remarks). Both parents are also reaching out to Lucy Rose and trying to help her with this transition. The family setting is believably realistic with grandparents regularly babysitting and her mother busy with work. Lucy Rose is struggling with the fact that she misses her old home, her dad, and her dog as any 8 year old in the same situation might be.
Series Info: Book One of the Lucy Rose Books
Sequel: Lucy Rose, big on plans (2005)
Other Books by the Author: Lucy Rose Series; Melonhead Series
Author's Website: Katy Kelly Website
Interest Level: Ages 8 to 11
Genre: Realistic Fiction
Subjects/Themes: 8 Year Olds, Diaries, Divorced Parents, New School, Moving,
Plot: Lucy Rose has just moved to a new city and started at a new school after her parent's divorce. She is struggling with all the changes in her life. At first Lucy Rose doesn't think her life will get any better, but little by little she makes new friends and starts to find school enjoyable. After one attempt and another to babysit the class guinea pig, she finally gets to take it home over the break. She even makes friends with the other new boy that kept teasing her.
Personal Thoughts: A refreshing first person narrative. What I really like about this novel is that a lot of the emotional struggles revolve around Lucy Rose personally. Her parents seem to be having a relatively calm divorce (no fighting or mean remarks). Both parents are also reaching out to Lucy Rose and trying to help her with this transition. The family setting is believably realistic with grandparents regularly babysitting and her mother busy with work. Lucy Rose is struggling with the fact that she misses her old home, her dad, and her dog as any 8 year old in the same situation might be.
Series Info: Book One of the Lucy Rose Books
Sequel: Lucy Rose, big on plans (2005)
Other Books by the Author: Lucy Rose Series; Melonhead Series
Author's Website: Katy Kelly Website
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