Inside the Newsroom

Gather 'round, Junior Watchdogs!

This month, California Watch debuts a section of our website dedicated exclusively to children. As a rule, we want to reach the Californians most affected by any given matter and equip them with the knowledge they need to better understand and address the issue. Sometimes – as with last year’s series on earthquake safety at California schools – that means engaging children.

To that end, and with help from our readers, we created Sunny the California Watchdog, a furry and friendly mascot, to explain complicated issues to kids. For our “On Shaky Ground” series, we produced about 36,000 “Ready to Rumble” earthquake safety coloring books in English, Spanish, Vietnamese, and traditional and simplified Chinese.

Now, Sunny is back as the star of our Junior Watchdogs section, which features an interactive version of “Ready to Rumble” (which kids can color online), a map of Sunny’s travels and an occasional video series in which Sunny and friends help children understand the issues we report on, like lead in jewelry and the need for clean drinking water.

So, click on over and tell us what you think.