What to watch if your kids aren’t into the kids-killing-kids realities of Panem
As we might have mentioned before, we loved The Hunger Games books and so were seriously anxious for the movie to open. A big part of why we love the Hunger Games is Katniss herself. For those who somehow escaped hearing all about this dystopian tale, it centres around 16-year-old Katniss Everdeen. She’s so brave and strong that, after losing her dad in a mining accident, takes it upon herself to hunt and forage for her family so they don’t all starve. Her braveness hits its peak when her little sister’s name is drawn to participate in the annual Hunger Games, where kids from various districts fight to the death, and Katniss volunteers to take her place. Yes, there’s a bit of young adult romance-y stuff happening, but at its core, it’s about Katniss surviving the games so she can get back to her family. Katniss makes for a great role model, but we understand that when other Hunger Games participants are speared, stabbed and bashed on the head, it’s not really family-friendly entertainment if your family is on the young side. We’re thinking Snow White and the Huntsman looks pretty kickass too, but again, it’s probably not for the kids. Read more...
Meri Perra blogs about the challenges she and her partner face in trying to raise their girls with feminist values
Our daughters are joyfully riding the wave of a well-meaning but definite over-abundance of Disney Princess gifts they got for Christmas.
Part of the infestation includes a very big, very pink Disney Princess story book, the complete princess series, in point of fact, which comes with an infinite number of stickers that are now scattered all over our house.
The book is not all horrible, it’s just mostly horrible. Mulan is a brave hero who goes to war, and Belle from Beauty and the Beast gets trapped when she goes off to rescue her dad. (By which I mean, Mulan and Belle are less bad than the other stories.)Read more...
Debuting on the newspaper comic strip circuit in 1941, crime-fighting, catsuit-wearing Miss Fury has the honour of being the first female superhero. She was followed by Wonder Woman six months later, and since then, superheroines from Catwoman to Aquagirl have made their marks in the world of comics as well. Trina Robbins, who edited the collection of Miss Fury reprints, discusses the role of women in comics, and that got us thinking about strong, smart female characters in general. And reminded us how anticipatory we are for Brave. (You’ve watched the awesome Brave trailer, right?)
Here are some of our favourites:
1. The Unprincessy Princess
Elizabeth from The Paper Bag Princess by Robert Munsch (1980)
