Fun detective pod centers Black culture & valuable lessons.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 5+?
Any Positive Content?
Violence & Scariness
very little
Kids in Keyshawn's class tease him because of the books he likes to read. A boy in their class mocks Kiki by calling her "little girl" and later throws a used popsicle stick at Keyshawn.
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Black history and culture is highlighted and celebrated authentically. Trying new things can be scary but fun. Have courage in life regardless of what you worry others may think. Don't give up if something you want doesn't happen right away; be resilient. Stand up for what you believe in, including your friends. Learning to find your self-confidence and self-worth is valuable. Teaches important values like timeliness, respect and asking for permission. Strong themes of perseverance, courage and teamwork.
Diverse Representations
a lot
All of the principal characters are Black and avoid stereotypes. This podcast teaches, highlights and celebrates Black culture and Black history authentically. It was developed in partnership with Black Public Media, an organization dedicated to helping create content that shares stories about the Black experience from the Black experience. Kiki and Keyshawn are a positive model of a boy and girl friendship that defies outdated stereotypes and gender roles. Kiki is self confident and self assured and often helps empower Keyshawn to believe in himself and have courage. Keyshawn is vulnerable and open with his fears and his feelings, smashing the dangerous stereotypes for boys, and especially Black boys, that being strong means hiding their feelings. Keyshawn learns to be connected to his ancestors.
Ten-year-old Keyshawn has a good heart but worries about how he's perceived by others, especially his peers. In each episode, he learns a lesson and overcomes these challenges. His friend, Kiki, serves as his confident and partner in solving mysteries. Both Kiki and Keyshawn support and empower one another and model positive teamwork. Kiki is brave and speaks up for herself, even when she's being teased or when anyone doubts her. And the adult characters – including Keyshawn's parents – are loving, supportive, and attentive to the children and their needs. Keyshawn uses his love of rhyming and rapping to express his feelings and difficult emotions. A boy at the Juneteenth Kids Club continuously teases Kiki and Keyshawn and won't let them play with his tablet and he's scolded by a teacher.
Educational Value
some
Black history lessons and authentic understanding of Black culture are naturally folded into each entertaining episode. Characters prepare for a Juneteenth bike parade and learn about the history of Juneteenth. Moral and social emotional lessons are not only present in each episode, but often explained by a character. Keyshawn learns the meaning of courage and resilience from his mom and dad.
Parents Need to Know
Parents need to know that Keyshawn Solves It is a fun and entertaining kids podcast that combines Black culture and history and valuable social emotional lessons through an engaging detective story. The show follows 10-year-old Keyshawn and his new friend Kiki as they navigate friendships and challenges and share a love for solving mysteries around their North Minneapolis neighborhood. The show centers around positive messages and themes like teamwork, resilience, perseverance and courage, helping young listeners learn about these values and put them into action alongside Keyshawn and Kiki. Created in partnership with Black Public Media, this podcast truly reflects and celebrates Black culture authentically and rejects harmful stereotypes previously (and even currently) found in kids media. With its amazing audio production, catchy soundtrack, and endearing characters, even adults will be hooked on this newest addition from GBH and PBS Kids.
KEYSHAWN SOLVES IT follows 10-year-old Keyshawn and his friend Kiki as they attempt to solve the mystery behind a string of recent bike disappearances in their neighborhood. Inspired by their favorite detective book series, Kiki and Keyshawn use teamwork and perseverance to work through mysteries and challenges, supporting and empowering each other along the way. Each episode they get closer to solving the mystery, while also learning even more about themselves, life skills and Black history. Both Kiki and Keyshawn balance one another out in ther endearing friendship and Keyshawn will often express his feelings and fears through rhyme as he raps on his favorite voice recorder. This podcast has great character development, intriguing storylines and satisfying audio production.
Think Nancy Drew meets Hey Arnold!with this excellent kids mystery podcast from PBS Kids and GBH Kids. Keyshawn Solves It is an absolute triumph, using the hook of a kid-friendly detective story to tackle social-emotional learning and to highlight and celebrate Black history and Black culture. The two lead characters, Keyshawn and Kiki, are worthy role models for listeners, as they use their ingenuity and work together to solve the central mystery. With a set of skeleton keys dating back nearly 200 years, the show harkens back to Black history in a way that makes it accessible to kids. And this device serves the show's central metaphor of the "keys to success," such as self-worth and responsibility.
In addition to its undeniable value for listeners, the show is impeccably produced, with crisp audio, a charming voice cast, and a catchy hip hop soundtrack (not to mention Keyshawn's love for rapping into his voice recorder, using it as a way to express his emotions). Its breezy 15-minute runtime, clever writing, and endearing characters have the potential to make it a family favorite for listeners. Even when the plot is a bit light, the themes and lessons contained in every episode make Keyshawn Solves It one of the most promising podcasts of its kind in a long while.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about how Keyshawn Solves It integrates life lessons into the mysteries Keyshawn and Kiki are trying to solve. Courage, teamwork and perseverance are key concepts. Why are these important character strengths? How are they important in solving mysteries as well as working through everyday problems in life?
It can be difficult to fully understand the culture and backgrounds of characters in podcast since there are usually no visuals. How does this podcast try to showcase Black culture in audio only format?
Talk about how Keyshawn Solves It adds to representation in the mystery genre that was once primarily dominated by White characters and stories. How does this podcast break down barriers and break stereotypes? What are some other steps creators can take to diversify the mystery genre in all forms of media?
Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by
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Common Sense Media's unbiased ratings are created by expert reviewers and aren't influenced by the product's creators or by any of our funders, affiliates, or partners.
By Robert Yaniz Jr.
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
