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Article:    Sagwa The Show, Videos/DVDs, Toys.

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The Show

In case you haven't heard, Sagwa the Chinese Cat is a rich and wholesome PBS television show for preschoolers. The tender stories follow Sagwa, a Siamese cat who is trying to find her place in the world. She's spirited and certainly curious, as a cat is supposed to be. And she is a lovely heroine who learns a lot about growing up and socializing in each episode. Her best friend is a bat named Fu-Fu, a helpful and funny companion. Sagwa has a little sister named Sheegwa, a character that our little viewers were particularly fond of! She is adorable and a little shy. Her older brother, Dongwha, is proud and adventurous, and Sagwa's parents are loving yet they put their foot (paw!) down when the children are misbehaving. Sagwa must live with the Foolish Magistrate, her father's employer, who passes some rather foolhardy laws, as well as the magistrate's human family. Sagwa also interacts with her grandparents and the Magistrate's employees.

Sagwa is based on the books by Amy Tan, and the series is an Emmy award nominee. Sagwa is set in China in the late 19th century. The stories in the Sagwa series are very sweet and rich in social "lessons" and culture. Sagwa is a believable character--she's not perfect, and the story lines are somewhat complex. Therefore, the show is a little more appropriate for older preschoolers to about age 8. In between the stories, short segments feature live-action children and educational tidbits. The "lessons" learned are unforced. Best of all, these wholesome stories are totally appreciated by many young viewers--especially, but certainly not limited to, cat-lovers!

Videos are now available, and DVDs are on their way. In Canada, DVDs are currently available (Volumes 1, 2, and 3), and each features both English and French versions of the stories--a feature that is especially useful for bilingual families.

Sagwa Videos

In each of the videos available, including Cat Nights, Flights, and Delights pictured at left, three episodes are featured:

Sagwa - Cat Nights, Flights and Delights  VHS

Sagwa - Feline Frenzy VHS


Sagwa DVDs

Sagwa's Storybook World (DVD) is set to be released on January 28th, 2003. This DVD includes six fun adventures entitled Explorer's Club, Treasure Hunters, Sick Day, Firefly Nights, Fu-Fu's Full Moon Flight, and Shei-Hu's Secret. This DVD runs approximately 70 minutes long. Although its bonus features are sparse, this title is worth it for the episodes. In Canada, this title is equivalent to Sagwa Volume One. They are lots of fun! See our full review of this DVD. 

[For more information, user reviews, or to buy/pre-order: Sagwa - Sagwa's Storybook World]

Sagwa Easy-to-Read Books

Young Sagwa fans will want to read with Scholastic's Easy-to-Read collection of books based on the series. Acrobat Cats (Sagwa Easy-To-Read, 1) and Princess Sheegwa (Sagwa Easy-To-Read, 2) feature beautiful illustrations and text with a reading level of about grade 1-2. These books deal with dilemmas that most kids can identify with -- for example, sibling rivalry -- and tidy solutions to the problems. Very cute!

 

Get Acquainted with Sagwa

Currently, the best way to get acquainted with Sagwa is through the PBS web site. There, kids can "meet" all the characters, make up stories, hear the theme song of the show, and more.

 

 

Search for all Sagwa products at Amazon.com:

 Sagwa Products

 

 

 

 
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Related Links

 

Search for all Sagwa products at Amazon.com:

Sagwa Products

 

 

In Canada, you can buy Sagwa books and book/toy sets at Amazon.ca:
 

Sagwa, the Chinese Siamese Cat [IMPORT] (VHS - Cat Nights, Flights, and Delights)

 

 

January 2003 Send Page To a Friend  
 

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