Leila Zefri

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On my honor, I have neither given nor received unauthorized aid on this assignment

Why Watch Super Why!?

Super Why! is a television program created for children around preschool age. The show

centers around a group of characters called the Super Readers; Whyatt (a young boy), a Pig, Red

Riding Hood, and Princess Pea make up the group. When researching which children’s show to

analyze for this project, Super Why! frequently came up on recommended lists in magazines,

online forums, and streaming networks. Considering its seeming popularity, I chose to watch this

show, analyze it, and decide for myself if I would recommend this for young children. Since I

have a nephew approaching preschool age, this project was an opportunity to critically review a

show that I might watch, or avoid, with him this summer.

As mentioned above, Super Why! follows a group of characters in an educational

program offered by PBS. The show takes place in a world called Storybrook Village. In each

episode, one of the Super Readers has a problem that they need help solving. Together, the Super

Readers go inside a book with a similar problem to find the solution. The characters follow the

story line, employing skills of letter recognition, spelling, and reading from the audience in

search for “Super Letters” within the book which will ultimately spell out the answer to their

problem. Unsurprisingly, the episodes end with all the Super Letters found and the problem

being solved.

Since I was unfamiliar with this show prior to this project, I began watching the show at

the very beginning, season one episode one and two. Before the actual story begins, Whyatt asks,

“ready to go on a reading adventure?” and outlines what they will be doing in the first episode.
In this episode, viewers are told they will be using the alphabet, practicing spelling, and using the

power of reading to change the story. The first episode’s problem is that Whyatt’s sister, Joy, is

having a big tantrum and will not stop crying despite Whyatt’s attempts to sooth her. Once the

Super Readers are assembled, they jump into Jack and The Beanstalk to find the answer that will

calm Joy down. In this adventure, they need to find the out how Jack got the Giant to stop

making so much noise and apply that same solution to their situation with Joy. Throughout the

story, Whyatt reads lines from Jack and The Beanstalk while highlighting the words as he goes

and asking the audience to help him read. At the beginning, Pig is called on to build steps to

climb up the beanstalk. Pig builds the steps out of letters (going in alphabetical order),

periodically asks the audience, “what letter is next?” and pauses before presenting the next letter

and going on. Throughout the story they find the letters “m,” “u,” “s,” “i,” and “c” which literally

spells out their solution; playing music is how they get Joy to stop crying. After finding their

“Super Story Answer” and calming Joy down, the episode promptly ends.

Episode two follows an almost identical outline to episode one, with only the problem

and book changing. In this episode, the audience is told they will build the alphabet, rhyme with

“-ink” words, and (again) use the power of reading to change the story. Princess Pea is the one

with a problem this episode; she has to solve a puzzle in order to become a Junior Princess. The

Super Readers have to use The Princess and The Pea to find their five lettered answer. In the

story, a Princess (Princess Pea’s mother) is worried about how to pass a test the Queen sets in

order to prove she is worthy of marrying her son. The Queen places a pea under 26 mattresses

and, if the Princess does not sleep comfortably, she will pass the test. Pig asks the audience to fill

in the missing letters to his alphabet ladder, Red Riding Hood sounds out “-ink” words and

provides many examples, and Whyatt reads and changes the story. Ultimately, the Super Story
Answer is “smart” and Princess Pea has to show she is smart to pass the test. When Princess Pea

shows she is smart by solving the puzzle, she gets a crown.

This series heavily emphasizes the power of reading and the abilities that go with it (e.g.

spelling, rhyming). In our intelligence unit, we learned many different approaches to

understanding and conceptualizing intelligence. Gardner’s theory of multiple intelligences argues

for eight types of intelligences in which people can be more than just one type. The emphasis on

reading mentioned above corresponds with Gardner’s linguistic intelligence since, reading is a

skill that requires language comfortability. Arguably, the show also exemplifies the intrapersonal

type of intelligence as defined by Gardner through the characters’ ability to recognize other

people’s problems and assist in solving them. With that being said, it seems the show heavily

emphasizes only certain aspects of intelligence and neglecting the others; it might leave some

viewers feeling as though they are not intelligent or as intelligent as they should be, thereby

harming their confidence in those areas of intelligence. Furthermore, viewing this series in

isolation might not develop the child’s other types of intelligence such as musical, spatial, and/or

naturalist. However, keeping in mind the intended age group for this show, it makes sense that

there is an importance given to reading. Many of the viewers are probably working on

developing their reading and writing skills, and therefore this content is seemingly appropriate.

Furthermore, in class we discussed the results of parents attempting to give their kids a leg up

educationally through programs such as “Baby Einstein.” Studies investigating “Baby Einstein”

found that for each hour spent watching videos, babies understood six to eight fewer words than

babies who did not, and found no long-term positive impacts of the program. With that being

considered, focusing on skills such as reading and letter recognition through a television series

prove not to be beneficial for viewers.

 While this show does seem to focus in on a very rigid type of intelligence, it seems,

outwardly, to promote creativity. In class we learned that preschool-aged children display very

high levels of divergent thinking—which aligns with creativity—so therefore it would make

sense for programs geared for preschoolers to include many creative elements to foster their

already high levels of creativity. This show follows classical stories but modifies them to find the

answer, which aligns with the definition of creativity—the ability to produce novel responses in

context. However, the show only offers one possible solution, which works against creativity. In

our class discussion regarding how schools can foster creativity we found that creativity is

nurtured through encouraging idea generation, multiple correct answers, and elaboration of ideas.

Overall, the rigid structure of this show and lack of multiple solutions do not provide children

with a creative model or outlet. In fact, consistently finding only one solution to a problem might

harm these young children’s flourishing creativity. While this might not be a show parents turn

to for creativity, it might inadvertently harm it.

The Super Readers are a group of friends. Friendships, as defined in class are intimate,

reciprocated, and positive relationships, and can serve as a protective factor during difficult

times. The Super Reader members call on their each other when they have a problem, and

together they find the solution. Knowing that they can rely on the other members of the group,

their friends, helps them handle these otherwise very stressful situations. Despite the show being

animated fiction, this provides a good representation of what it means to be a friend for little

kids. The Super Readers listen to each other, complement each other’s strengths, and work

together well. Furthermore, the Super Readers show many examples of social referencing. For

example, in the beginning of episode one Whyatt wants to soothe his baby sister, who is having
an unusually big tantrum, but ultimately watches his mother soothing her because he does not

know what to do in this unfamiliar situation. According to Vygotsky, this example of social

referencing is one way that Whyatt will develop his cognitive skills. Overall, Whyatt observing

his mother and having a good network of friends promote good messages about friendships and

cognitive growth for young children.

After watching the first two episodes of this show, I do not think I would offer this as a

show to watch with my nephew. Despite Super Why! showing healthy friendships and social

referencing skills, it overemphasizes linguistical intelligence and does little to promote creativity.

Aside from that, the show also follows such a rigid format (i.e. all episodes follow the same

structure of member having a problem, they go into book, focus on the same skills) that I

ultimately think this show might be boring for preschool aged children who tend to score highly

on creativity. Due to its basic and predictable patterns I found the show to be very boring,

although perhaps younger children would be able to watch more episodes without experiencing

boredom, especially if the stories are unfamiliar ones to them. However, despite my disliking of

the program I do see why it was rated highly on many websites as a show for young children. It

is easy to believe that many parents would feel pretty accomplished in allowing their child to

watch a program that promotes reading and spelling skills. Yet, with my knowledge of the “Baby

Einstein” studies, I am able to acknowledge that just because the show promotes the valuable

behavior of reading, it may not make the child any smarter or put them ahead of their peers.

Overall, I do not think it provides as many benefits one might be led to believe. I would

recommend reading stories to and with children over watching Super Why!. When reading to

children, you can ask them questions that promote their creativity (e.g. if you were writing the
story, how would you solve the problem?), and spending time and engaging with them is proven

to be more beneficial than any television show could be.

When watching the show and completing this project I often thought about how I would

apply what I learned to my interactions with my nephew. What I gained from this experience

was solidification that I rather would watch shows that seem “silly” or “goofy” over ones that are

deemed educational with him. At such a young age I don’t think it is beneficial to promote one

type of intelligence over another, and I would rather watch shows that make him think more

creatively or laugh and have fun while watching. Although I do agree with the show’s general

premise, that reading is a powerful skill and can help carry you far, I would prefer to actually

read to him than to provide him with a show about reading. When looking for television shows to

watch with him, those that are high in creativity, promote positive social skills, and do not push

gender rigid ideas are ones I will look for.