 | ON: Content is age-appropriate for kids this age. |
 | PAUSE: Know your child; some content may not be right for some kids. |
 | OFF: Not age-appropriate for kids this age. |
 | NOT FOR KIDS: Not appropriate for kids any age. |
WordGirl
- PBS Kids
- Genre: Kids' Animation
Common Sense Media says
Brainy heroine uses vocab to outwit bad guys.
Parents say
QUALITY
Kids say
QUALITY
What parents need to know
Parents need to know that this entertaining animated series introduces grade-schoolers to the pronunciations and definitions of advanced vocabulary words like "temptation," "gigantic," and "vegetarian." There's a little bit of cartoon violence, but that pales in comparison to the fact that kid viewers will unknowingly expand their literary repertoire while enjoying the empowered young superheroine's adventures.
What's the story?
In WORDGIRL, a heroic grade-schooler uses her proficiency with the English language to rid her hometown of nefarious intruders. To any onlooker, spunky girl next door Becky Botsford (voiced by Dannah Feinglass) seems no different from her fifth-grade peers. But when trouble strikes, Becky's caped alter ego WordGirl zooms off her monkey sidekick, Captain Huggy Face, to oust the bad guys with her double whammy of brawns and brain. Though she does employ her super strength at times (after all, what else is a girl with a leveling left hook to do?), WordGirl relies more on her grasp of the English language to outwit her vocabulary-challenged opponents.
Is it any good?
WordGirl mimics the well-trodden path of most superhero cartoons. But the notable difference here is that, instead of firepower, WordGirl's most trusted weapons are entries on advanced vocabulary lists, which she uses to trip up her enemies. She'll often befuddle them with challenges to name synonyms or definitions for the words she uses, or they'll get distracted by their unfamiliarity with her word choice. Not only will her zany adventures entertain young viewers, but they'll also increase kids' vocabulary skills and improve their reading comprehension.
Engaging and well crafted, WordGirl combines fun stories, zany characters, and important literacy skills into a 30-minute package that kids will love and parents will applaud. As superhero stories go, this one comes up short on violence (what little there is is of the exaggerated WHAM! BANG! variety). Even better, it revolves around a brainy, well-spoken female heroine. All in all, WordGirl is an excellent (superb, first-rate, stupendous, etc.) choice for young grade-schoolers.
What families can talk about
Families can talk about literacy skills. Kids: How does being familiar with more words help you in school? Does not knowing a particular word ever trip you up? What do you do then? Parents can also talk to kids about the power of words. What types of words can hurt other people? What types can help? Is it possible to resolve differences with words alone?
Talk about Word Girl. Do you think she's a good role model? Are there other powerful and positive girl characters on TV and in the movies? Who are your favorites?
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- All members
- Parents
- Teens & kids
AGE
Horrible Show
I hate this show. While it's nice to see a tough girl in the lead role there is just too much emphasis bad guys. It's also incredibly sassy. My 5 yr old daughter has been telling us to 'Scram!' a lot lately, and she got it from Word Girl. Not a show I plan on letting her watch anymore.
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AGE
awesome show!!!!
OMG! This show is great for pre-school and lower elementary kids. Great show, which is funny and educational! My 6 year old sister LOVES this show, she looks forward to the 4:30 showing of it.
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AGE
Great for kids vocabulary
My 5 year old has watched word girl since she was 3. She loves it, and I see nothing but positives. Keep up the good work.
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AGE
I watch this show with my little brother a lot, and I think it's good!
Violence? There's almost no violence at all! The only time Wordgirl does more than tie the person up and send him to jail is when she's fighting Tobey's robots. She'll completely destroy them, and Tobey's mom will pull him away by the ear. It's funny!
This show doesn't have annoying songs on it, or talk to YOU! It has enough little kid humor and big kid humor, so it attracts the whole family. They never say bad words or show blood or gross stuff, and they always make words a priority.
To "Love2" who wrote the short review saying "the show is to vilont for a learning show. and having crushes????????? not apropreat!" you spelled both "violent" and appropriate" wrong. Sorry to be a grammar cop but if you're going to take the time to put up a review about a show called WORDGIRL, you should've atleast not spelled such simple words wrong. Wordgirl would be ashamed.
The crushes, by the way, are the one Wordgirl has on Scoops and the one Tobey has on Wordgirl. They don't go any further than crushes and little kids aren't going to understand them, so why make a big deal? Older kids enjoy watching a show with some "romance" (or as close as ten year olds trying to get their crushes' attention is to romance), and it's still appropriate! No dating whatsoever.
Hope this review was helpful.
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AGE
Fun and educational
We have been watching Word Girl for a while now and my children's vocabulary has improved dramatically. They can't wait to what "cool new words" they can learn next! I couldn't believe my ears when my 7 year old asked to go somewhere and we couldn't go he told me how "crestfallen" he was feeling!!! Then he gave me the definition because he didn't think I understood him!! I was taken aback to say the least, but that is something any parent would be proud of.
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AGE
Parents need to relax
Some parents are screwed up! I was just looking at this sight to find something for my kids and oh my god are parents paroniod. I mean comon! You've let your kdis grow up sometime. "Oh they say the word Scram!" I mean seriously take a chill pill!!!!
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Kid, 12 years old
January 22, 2011
AGE
urray wordgirl iz black!
there is smll vilolent acts
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AGE
this show is to.....
the show is to vilont for a learning show. and having crushes????????? not apropreat!
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AGE
There is cartoon violence because it is a superhero cartoon. The only educational value in this show is the vocabulary building.
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AGE
Not educational and not appropriate for kids under 7
Hate it. Watched it attentively 3 times and browsed at it several other times. The supposedly educational content is practically non-existent - one or two few new words per episode for a lot of stressfull situations with yelling characters! It is practically the same kind of animations like Pokemon, Ben 10 and these other super heroes fighting the evil; I don't see why it was ever sold as educational or appropriate for pre-school.
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| Topics: | superheroes, adventures, numbers and letters |
| TV rating: | TV-Y7 |
| Network: | PBS Kids |
| Cast: | Dannah Feinglass, Jeffrey Tambor, Tom Kenny |
| Genre: | Kids' Animation |
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