Review

Crouching Tiger

Common Sense Media says

Boy learns to appreciate his heritage in universal story.
Age
6
Quality
 
  • Educational value5
    Kids learn about Chinese culture, food, New Year celebrations and traditions, including parades, lion dancers, fireworks, and the red paper envelopes kids get that are filled with money. They will also learn about the origins and practice of tai chi, and find an illustration of the little boy in different, labeled tai chi poses on each two-page spread. An informative author's note is filled with facts about Chinese martial arts and Chinese New Year traditions. 
  • Positive messages5
    Know and honor your cultural heritage and family traditions and your elders. And practice makes perfect, as we see the little boy go from awkwardness to skillfulness the longer he practices tai chi. 
  • Positive role models5
    Vinson's parents are kind, loving and supportive, and his grandfather is wise and patient. Grandpa shows him the way but isn't pushy, sometimes laying the groundwork for growth without spelling everything out. For example, he has Vinson practice using the pole, but the boy doesn't know until he's proficient what he's been training for: to carry it in the Chinese New Year parade with the lion dancers. 
  • Violence & scariness1
    The grandfather uses his martial arts skill to save a woman on the street from being hit by a wooden board carried by an inattentive worker. Little Vinson describes the moment: "In a smooth motion, Grandpa crouched like a tiger, swept up a leg, and kicked the board, breaking it neatly in half." 
  • Language0
    Not applicable.
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What parents need to know

Parents need to know that while Crouching Tiger is about a Chinese-American boy coming to appreciate his heritage, it has universal appeal. Many kids who have parents or grandparents from another country, or parents who identify with their ancestral roots, can be ambivalent about speaking a different language or keeping up traditions from a foreign land. Crouching Tiger handles the complexity of those feelings with subtlety and grace. 

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