US Japan Fam
  • Blog
  • Contact
  • About Me
    • Hire Me!
    • Mommypreneur Coaching
    • Subscribe to our List Serves!
    • Press Page - Travel
    • Privacy Policy & Disclaimers
  • Family Travel
  • Day Trips & Weekend Getaways from NYC
  • Hudson Valley
    • Day Trips & Activities
  • Bay Ridge Families
    • Scavenger Hunt
    • Advertising
    • Submit Your Event
    • Summer Camp Guide
    • Birthday Party Guide
    • Classes & Activities for Babies & Toddlers
    • Bay Ridge Baby Sitters
    • Halloween Guide
    • Holiday Guide
    • Life in NYC >
      • Brooklyn
      • Bronx
      • Manhattan
      • Queens
      • Staten Island
  • Blog
  • Contact
  • About Me
    • Hire Me!
    • Mommypreneur Coaching
    • Subscribe to our List Serves!
    • Press Page - Travel
    • Privacy Policy & Disclaimers
  • Family Travel
  • Day Trips & Weekend Getaways from NYC
  • Hudson Valley
    • Day Trips & Activities
  • Bay Ridge Families
    • Scavenger Hunt
    • Advertising
    • Submit Your Event
    • Summer Camp Guide
    • Birthday Party Guide
    • Classes & Activities for Babies & Toddlers
    • Bay Ridge Baby Sitters
    • Halloween Guide
    • Holiday Guide
    • Life in NYC >
      • Brooklyn
      • Bronx
      • Manhattan
      • Queens
      • Staten Island

An American Girl Story - Ivy & Julie, Premiering March 24

3/20/2017

2 Comments

 
My children are still very young, so I haven't introduced them to the American Girl franchise quite yet, but I simply love what the brand has done to bring together dolls, history, and culture. Learning through play, always a win!!
I didn't know about American Girls when I was young, so I'm especially excited by the prospect of discovering them with my own kids soon! I got a jump start on that today through a sponsored campaign with KidzVuz and Amazon Studios to screen and promote the 3rd American Girl Story Amazon Original Special, premiering this week!
Amazon Original Special An American Girl Story - Ivy & Julie 1976: A Happy Balance is set to launch on Amazon Video this Friday, March 24 in the US, UK, Germany, and Austria!
US Japan Fam reviews American Girl Ivy & Julie 1976: A Happy Balance on Amazon Prime Video
In this 43 minute long video, we follow 10 year old Ivy in San Francisco as she struggles to understand and embrace her Chinese roots: feeling ashamed when her mother speaks Chinese to her in public, not wanting to spend her Saturdays in Chinese school, wanting to eat pizza instead of Chinese food, wondering why no one in her magazines looks like her... Her struggle comes to a head when her big gymnastics meet is on the same night as a huge Chinese New Year dinner her family will be hosting.
US Japan Fam reviews American Girl Ivy & Julie 1976: A Happy Balance on Amazon Prime Video
​At the same time, Ivy's best friend Julie is also struggling - her parents have recently divorced and she is faced with the turmoil of going back and forth between homes every few days, and having a sibling  angry at her for spending weekends with their father.
​While this story takes place in 1976, the issues brought up are timeless and certainly present in many homes these days. Ivy's story especially hit home for me - my husband is Japanese and we're trying to raise our children to embrace both of our languages and cultures, however our 4 year old is already starting to push back against going to Japanese school and speaking Japanese. Watching this video, I caught a glimpse of the struggle our family has in store. However, I was able to gain valuable insight into the child's perspective, as well as the parents', and it was truly enlightening.
US Japan Fam reviews American Girl Ivy & Julie 1976: A Happy Balance on Amazon Prime Video
Even if your family cannot personally relate to the struggles of Ivy or Julie, certainly your children have friends and classmates who can. In Happy Balance you can learn a lot of fascinating things about Chinese and Chinese-American culture, including various traditions surrounding Chinese New Year. But on a grander scale, you can start to understand the struggles immigrants in America often face - leaving everything behind to start a new (hopefully better) life, often feeling like a "foreigner" rather than being accepted as American, and struggling to find the balance between preserving their old culture and embracing the new one. It's certainly a good reminder for me of things my own husband is silently dealing with!

​I honestly recommend watching this together with your children and having an open conversation during and afterward. It's a great way to help them understand both your own family and the community you are a part of!

​(Spoiler alert: Ivy and Julie both find ways to resolve their problems and there is a happy ending, without parents having to force an opinion or decision on them, yay!!!)
An American Girl Story - Ivy & Julie 1976: A Happy Balance will be available for Amazon Prime members to stream on Amazon Video starting Friday, March 24. If you don't already have Amazon Prime, you can get a free 30-day Prime trial here!! And check out the trailer below!!
This post was sponsored by KidzVuz for Amazon Studios, however all opinions are my own. 
2 Comments
Amy Main
4/5/2017 09:52:54 pm

My nieces loved American Girl.

Reply
Amber Ludwig
4/7/2017 11:10:52 am

Aw, I bet this will be awesome!! I loved the Babysitters Club growing up and the American Girls totally remind me of that!! Such a great influence for girls coming of age!!

Reply



Leave a Reply.

    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Follow on Bloglovin
    Contact Me!
    Picture
    Follow @usjapanfam

    RSS Feed

    Picture

    About Me ^_^

    I'm a NYC metro area mom blogger living in NJ with my Japanese husband & our 3 kids (twins plus 1).  This blog is chock full of product reviews, family travel guides, and giveaways galore! It's also home to Bay Ridge Families, and several guides focused on kid-friendly activities and guides to South Brooklyn, Hudson Valley, and New Jersey, as well as family-friendly destinations beyond the NYC area (check the menu bar!)

    Brand Ballot
    Picture
    Legit Ways To Make Money From Home - a stay at home mom's guide to working from home
    The Network Niche

    USFamilyGuide.com

    Parent Reviewers Directory Listing

    Categories

    All
    Baby
    Babywearing
    Babywise
    Bay Ridge
    Bilingual
    Birth Story
    Breastfeeding
    Childbirth
    Co Sleeping
    Co-sleeping
    Fashion
    Fitness
    Giveaway
    Guest Post
    Hair Dye
    Healthy Living
    Home
    Hudson Valley
    Hypnobabies
    Interracial Marriage
    Japan
    Jet Programme
    Learn Japanese
    Maternity Leave
    Mommy Nearest
    Motherhood
    New York
    Pregnancy
    Review
    School
    Sleep Training
    Sponsored Post
    Stay At Home Mother
    Technology
    Toddler Faves
    Toddlers
    Travel
    Twin Pregnancy
    Twins
    Vaccination
    Vlog
    Weaning
    Weightloss
    YouTube / Social

    Archives

    March 2023
    February 2023
    December 2022
    November 2022
    October 2022
    June 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013
    August 2013
    July 2013
    June 2013
    May 2013
    April 2013
    March 2013
    December 2012

Proudly powered by Weebly