Masked Ninja (Ninja Life Hacks #18) (2024)

A Noble Effort, But Poor Execution

I was curious about how people are handling the current virus when it comes to informing their children, so I rented this book in hopes of discovering one way. Let's just say I hope this isn't the method used by most, because it honestly isn't very high quality. The art is a bit plain, in my opinion, and the Kindle version doesn't allow double tapping to zoom text so it's incredibly difficult to read, but those are actually less problematic than the actual content (and I mean that in the traditional sense, not the social justice sense).

To start, there's an extremely unhelpful explanation of what masks are: "Masks are surgical masks that doctors wear." Wow. Masks are masks? You don't say! This isn't even accurate, because people who aren't healthcare professionals or immunocompromised individuals aren't supposed to be wasting surgical/medical supplies in the first place. Then it shows a ninja whose mouth is already covered by their ninja hood asking why another is wearing a (surgical) mask and being told it's for protection. Okay, but... the ninjas' masks already sufficiently cover their faces. Are they trying to die of suffocation? This surely will confuse kids because the faces are already covered - and it continues throughout the entire story, where every ninja without a mask still has their hood covering their face... yet somehow can still get virus particles and spread them, make a mess when sneezing, and have a thermometer in their mouth. I'm sorry, what?! Is that supposed to be their face randomly the same colour as their ninja outfit?? Very odd and confusing.

Beyond that, the book uses words not suitable for the age of children the art seems aimed at - pandemic, CDC, WHO, literal Chinese writing which the English-speaking audience will likely not understand (and which have no pronunciation guide, so it isn't an educational moment), etc. and gets too political by telling kids to only trust their doctor, the CDC, and the WHO instead of the internet or television. It doesn't even mention trusting one's parents, which just seems like a way to make parenting in the pandemic a little more difficult.

Then at the end it randomly tacks on something about never blaming others for the virus. It's clearly meant to be against the bullying of Asian kids, particularly Chinese ones, but it's too brief and lacks nuance so it just seems heavy handed and ridiculous (and unlikely to make sense to children). All the sudden it goes from how to stop spreading viruses to how to stop spreading viruses and racism, without even explaining what the word means or why what it showed was racism, and that just makes things unnecessarily complicated.

Overall, I think this one is a dud. I don't see it being useful at all to make things less confusing for children. I'd pass on this and look for a book that better explains the pandemic and masks if you need help teaching your kid about what's going on in the world right now.

That's a shame, because what the author is attempting to do is great. The execution is just too poor.

Informative

This book is ideal for 1 graders and up. It provided valuable facts about germs and how to control it. For most of us it is hard to wear a mask all day! However , as a preschool teacher, it matters to me that I am safe and my students are safe too during the COVID-19 pandemic. Our preschool agency reopened July 1st, Wearing a mask made me feel safe and protected. I know it could be hard for children. To wear a mask, but as a preschool teacher, having children accept the mask was much easier than teaching them to accept the stay 6 feet apart rule; they all complained, they don’t want to play alone. Wearing the mask allowed them to play together again! At least I felt they were somehow protected, of course, in addition to many measures such as frequently sanitizing....

Masked and Racism, all in one book

I love the way the author intertwined both scenarios into one book. While there is a pandemic, and it is written easy enough for preschoolers and toddlers to understand, she also touched on racism. She offered a solution to the problem if it does occur. Moreover, I love the way she mentioned three organizations that people should read and follow. My daughter, who knows the degree of the situation, was able to read it and understand what to do when we are outside.

could we pass this one to adults as well ... being 42 myself ... i think it is well said, kindly and easily ... pass it on ... colorful and fun. simple lesson we can all learn. "during these uncertain times" we can be extra kind, companionate, listen, learn, and try to be understanding. please. loving this series so so much