Common Sense Note
Parents need to know that this is a remastered CD of the original 1972 recording, which broke new ground by introducing a dialogue between parents and kids about gender roles in America.
Families can talk about a wide range of topics that will have real relevance in their kids' lives from gender stereotyping and friendship to bullying and expressing one's feelings.
Common Sense Review
Reviewed By: Erika Milvy
The 1972 seminal LP that told boys that dolls were okay and girls that princes were overrated is still relevant to today's kids.
Socially conscious and seriously entertaining, (and often quite lovely) this array of stories and songs are masterfully performed by Alan Alda, Mel Brooks, Diana Ross, Dick Cavett, Kris Kristofferson, and Harry Belafonte -- all singing their bleeding hearts out. Even a young Michael Jackson (ironically) sings about self love and acceptance, and not changing a thing about himself.
While some parents may assume that the CD is a dated bit of 70s era feminism, anyone with young children knows they are still working out what is and isn't acceptable behavior or girls and boys -- right down to what colors or clothing they wear.
Songs, poetry, sketch comedy, and story-telling teach by example, and show kids that people shouldn't be put into boxes. "It's all right to cry," sings the big burly football player Rosey Grier. "William wants a doll," sings Alan Alda, in a story-song where the wise grandma understands that this doesn't make him a sissy.
Most of the songs stand up to the test of time, using humor, rhyme, compelling narrative, and funky 70s grooves to gently teach tolerance and foster open-mindedness, kindness, and mutual respect. But some songs, like the macabre carnivalesque "Girl Land" are a little heavy-handed, if not downright sinister ("You go in a girl -- and you never get out!" goes the lyric.) Likewise, "Ladies First" is a Marlo Thomas-narrated cautionary tale about a goody two-shoes who meets a violent end -- all because of her expectation that ladies get special treatment. This sort of mean-spirited feminism flies in the face of the album's premise –- that we should be free to be ourselves -- even if that self isn't a ball-loving girl or a doll-loving boy but quite the opposite.
Fans of this CD may also enjoy The Johnny Cash Children's Album.
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Violence"Ladies First" is a cautionary tale about a goody two-shoes who meets a violent end. |
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Social BehaviorStories and songs teach self-acceptance, mutual respect, and tolerance. |
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