WordGirl

I watch this everyday with my 5 year old granddaughter. We talk about the " big words" and use them in our daily vocabulary.

My favorite cartoon on PBS Kids was WordGirl. It got me interested in learning big words and creative writing. Rewatching the show as an adult, I was surprised at how great the writing, characterization, and racial and gender representation are. The only time I saw a kid's cartoon with a black girl as the protagonist was The Proud Family. That's even rarer with superhero cartoons. Becky Botsford is one of the most well-written black girls I've ever seen. While she is a kick-ass superhero, she also still acts like a quirky and awkward 10-year-old. She unapologetically loves girly things like unicorns and glitter, and she also likes gender-neutral things like reading and art. She's intelligent, confident, and funny. I also like how the show isn't afraid to give her flaws. For example, she's terrible at singing and dancing, uses her powers for selfish things like winning competitions and finishing chores, and sometimes slips up keeping her secret identity a secret. Becky's best friends Todd and Violet are also excellent. Violet is like Chelsea from That's So Raven, but more soft-spoken. Todd is a great example of Asian representation because he's not the stereotypical overachieving mathematician; he likes journalism. Becky's parents, Mr. And Mrs. Botsford, are some of the best parents I've seen in a kid's show. Mrs. Botsford is a district attorney, and Mr. Botsford is like Victor Baxter from That's So Raven. Unlike many dads in cartoons and sitcoms, he's goofy without being completely stupid, is a kind and caring father who's comfortable with showing his emotions, and is also a great cook. The only character that I don't like is Becky's younger brother TJ. However, unlike Caillou and Arthur's parents, when TJ acts out or says something rude, they call him out on his bad behavior and punish him. This show is also a genuinely good parody of superhero tropes. There's this narrator who breaks the 4th wall and banters with the characters, kind of like Dave the Barbarian and The PowerPuff Girls. Plus, the villains have creative designs and are all hilarious. It's sad how no one talks about WordGirl since it's on PBS Kids. It had a great run with 130 episodes. It's probably one of the best superhero kid's cartoons I've ever seen. It's definitely leagues above Teen Titans Go.

I love any children's show that has a good point but doesn't get preachy. WordGirl is really funny on so many levels, not only teaching vocabulary but also satire, hyperbole, and irony. The silliness is on par with the best old school VeggieTales. The supervillains are hysterical, with equally great villain names, like "Chuck the Evil Sandwich Making Guy" and "Lady Redundant Woman". My son has learned several good vocabulary lessons above his grade level just by watching this treat, and I love watching it with him just because it's so funny. If the "grown-ups" that run Hollywood paid attention to PBS Kids, a lot of primetime comedy shows would be much more intelligent and entertaining

This is one of the few cartoons today that children can wash without being beat over the head by a socio-political message. Sure there are morals to each story, but they're not overt. The only obvious message in this show is the meanings of words and that words do have distinct meanings - something that today's children sorely need to hear!

I'm a forty-something year old guy and I love this show. I don't even kids! But if I did, THIS would be one I would have no problem sitting them down in front of unsupervised and be able to rest assured that they wouldn't be indoctrinated into any immoral teachings.

Of course, as with any children's programming, you should watch this first by yourself to ensure that it's appropriate for YOUR child, but I think you will be pleasantly surprised!

This is a nice show that helps kids to learn the meanings of words, I didn't know about it until a few months ago and I've loved it ever since. Unfortunately, I like in the UK so we don't get PBS Kids here, so I watched it on YouTube and Amazon Prime. It was a really good show. My favourite characters are Invisi-Bill, Tobey and Two-Brains. I would recommend this to watch.