Sagebooks Chinese for Kids Beginner 500 Review – Is It Worth a Try?

Are you looking for a way to help your children learn Chinese? SAGE FORMULA Basic Chinese 500 series 《基础汉字500》may be the answer. We will explore Sagebooks' resources, provide tips and tricks to complement them, and discuss why I highly recommend this series for learning Chinese.

Whether you're just starting out or already have some experience with the language, Sagebooks can provide an excellent foundation and structure that helps make learning more accessible and enjoyable.

Our family lives in Canada and therefore Chinese is a minority language where we are. I tried to think of creative ways on teaching my children how to read Chinese. It is hard for me to teach from regular children's Chinese books because they get overwhelmed with too many Chinese characters all of a sudden. This is when I really need to find a set of Chinese reading books for my kids that is easier for me to teach and also not overwhelming for them.

I heard about Sagebooks from Chalkacademy and Mama Baby Mandarin, and I have been debating whether or not I should get it for my kids (2.5 and 5 years old). Luckily, they got the set as their birthday present from a very nice friend of mine and they are set for the Sagebook journey!

Introducing Sagebooks Chinese for Kids Beginner 500《基础汉字500》

Author: Lucia L. Lau

Publisher: Sagebooks HK

Available Language:

• Simplified Chinese with Pinyin and English
• Traditional Chinese with Pinyin and English

Sagebooks, based on the well-known Sage Formula 思展方程式, are an enthralling series of picture books that feature 500 essential Chinese characters – better known as Basic Chinese 500 <<基础汉字500>>.

Sagebooks promises that their course can be completed in 18 months if learners dedicate themselves to completing a lesson each day.

You have the choice of purchasing the whole set or individual books, and there are twenty-five expansions in total.

With five distinct colors signifying various levels, these books offer a total of 25 stories that contain 20 lessons each.

Every lesson provides one character to learn reading – from the blue book's introductory level all the way up to red being the most difficulty.

After reading all 25 books, your child will be able to recognize a total of 500 Chinese words! (20 x 25 = 500)

Deep Dive On the Sagebooks

Here are the 5 color levels:

1. Beginner Reader (Blue) – Age recommendation: 3+ years old [100 characters]
2. Budding Reader (Green) – Age recommendation: 3.5+ years old [100 characters]
3. Building Reader (Orange) – Age recommendation: 4+ years old [100 characters]
4. Confident Reader (Pink) – Age recommendation: 4-4.5 years old [100 characters]
5. Fluent Reader (Red) – Age recommendation: 5+ years old [100 characters]

Each lesson is 6 pages long. The first page has a big picture of the new Chinese character. It also tells you in which order to draw the strokes.

Pages 2-6 have information to help you learn the lesson. Each page has one big picture and one sentence. The sentence is made up of 3-12 characters, depending on the level.

In each lesson, you will see some characters from past lessons as well as new characters.

This course design recommends your child to learn one new lesson each day where each lesson introduces one new character.

The Sagebooks series is special because it does not only begin with the easiest Chinese characters but also starts by teaching you the Chinese characters that you use most in daily life.

Sagebooks App

There's an app that also helps you teach your child throughout the lessons. In the first page of each lesson, there's a QR code that you can use to scan using the app which will allow you to play the audio for the lesson.

They also have a feature where you can keep track of the progress with daily and weekly schedules.

They have Cantonese and Mandarin audio.

My review of the app

Ever since I received news that they have Cantonese audio in this app, I quickly tried it out with my kids. It does motivate them more in reading this book. However, the app has some mistakes. It does not have all audio for some of the pages for some lessons.

A Close Look at the Sagebook Series' First Book (Traditional Chinese)

Let's take a look at the very first book of the Sagebook series which is the blue beginner reader book 1.

Page 1

The first lesson starts with the character 「山」. It is large and you can see how it should be written. You can practice tracing it by following the stroke order guidelines. There's also a picture which helps you understand what the character means.

At the bottom of the first page, you will see a QR code. Use the Sagebook app to scan it and you will hear the audio for this lesson.

Page 2-4

The second page shows a sentence or phase of the character that has been introduced. It also has Mandarin pinyin along with the translations of the sentence or phase.

For the first lesson, it only shows the character 「山」for the pages 2 to 4.

Page 5-8

The second lesson is《高》. From pages 6-8, you will see the characters 《山》and 《高山》repeating across the pages.

Page 9-16

The third lesson is《的》.

The fourth lesson is《人》.

The fifth lesson is《個》. Starting from the fifth lesson, they will have 6 pages instead of 4.

Pros and Cons of Sagebooks

Sagebooks: Pros

Sagebooks offer several benefits for children learning to read Chinese.

Systematic and Progressive Approach

Sagebooks use a systematic and progressive approach that introduces new characters gradually, building on previously learned characters.

I find that this helps my kids build more confidence as it slowly introduces a new character after the previous lessons.

Depending on my child's progress, I have the ability to alter their pace of learning – if they are thriving, then multiple characters a day can be taught; however, if struggling with particular concepts or skills I may opt for one lesson over several days.

Repetition

I really like how the Sagebook series incorporate repetition where characters appear several times within a lesson.

Repetition can significantly benefit kids when learning to read because it helps them develop fluency and automaticity in recognizing words.

When children are exposed to the same words over and over again, their brains become familiar with the patterns and structures of those words.

This makes it easier for them to recognize these words quickly and accurately, without having to sound them out every time.

Audio Recordings download – Cantonese & Mandarin

Sagebooks provide audio recordings of each lesson, allowing children to listen to correct pronunciation and intonation while following along with the text.

If you wish to listen to these audio recordings, you will have to register an account on their page. If you want to listen to both Cantonese and Mandarin, you need to sign up for two different accounts.

Audio Recordings in Cantonese and Mandarin

Cartoon Illustrations

Some parents don't like the pictures in the book. But my kids think they are funny and they make reading more fun. So I'm happy they like them.

Short Sentences/ Phases

The Sagebook series also uses short sentences or phrases to introduce characters that can be read and understood quickly.

This helps children learn faster as they don't have to spend time decoding complex Chinese sentences which may contain multiple characters. They are able to focus on understanding the meaning of the sentence/ phrase rather than trying to break it down into characters.

Sagebooks: Cons

While Sagebooks have many benefits, there are also some potential disadvantages to consider.

High Cost

The cost of purchasing the full set of Sagebooks is relatively expensive compared to other Chinese reading materials.

No Storyline

Sagebooks do not have a storyline and the lessons can become quite monotonous.

The Sagebooks are relatively simple and repetitive, which could make them less engaging for older or more advanced readers.

My kids started around 3 and 5 years old, thankfully, they don't think these books are boring for them.

The App

The app is difficult to use and has some mistakes. Sometimes they do not have all the audio files for each page so this may be confusing for the kids.

Sagebook Tips & Tricks for Maximum Benefit

Here are some tips and tricks to help your child get the maximum benefit from using Sagebooks:

Display the Sagebooks

Display the books where your child will be able to see them on a daily basis. This will help increase their exposure to the content and keep them interested in what they are learning.

Create Activities

Create activities that build on Sagebook content, such as asking your child to draw a picture of the characters they have learned.

Use the Audio Recordings – Mandarin & Cantonese

Encourage your child to listen to the audio recordings while reading along with the text. This will help them develop correct pronunciation and intonation.

Practice Writing Chinese Characters

Encourage your child to practice writing new characters as they learn them. This will help them deepen their understanding of the character and improve their writing skills.

Supplement with Other Sagebook Materials

Use other Chinese language materials to supplement learning and provide a more well-rounded language experience.

Stay Consistent

Set aside regular time for reading Sagebooks each day or week, and try to maintain a consistent schedule as much as possible.

Track Progress

Keep track of your child’s progress by creating a chart to track the number of characters they have learned.

We printed this tracking sheet from Guavarama and taped it on a wall. Afterwards, I will test my son if he knows the Chinese character, if he can say it correctly, I will put on transparent miniature washi circle stickers on top of the Chinese character.

Connect Your Chinese Characters to Daily Life for Easier Memorization

Sagebooks encourages kids to look around them and see how the language is used in their daily routine, such as when playing a game or shopping at the store. By making connections between what they learn in Sagebooks and what they encounter in their environment, children are able to make learning more meaningful by applying it directly to their lives.

This helps them retain information better and become more familiar with the language as a whole.

Here are some examples:

我們在高高的山。 – When we were on top of a hill before snowboarding down.

我們家裡有兩個小孩。- We have two children in our home.

Our Personal Experience with Sagebooks – How We Got Started and What We Learned

When I showed the kids the Sagebooks, they wanted to start reading them right away. My 5-year-old was really excited and she already feels comfortable reading the books.

From the very beginning, I gave her Chinese lessons so she had an understanding of how to read basic characters. Now, she is working on book 3 and further exploring different Chinese characters at a consistent rate.

When my younger son was 2.5 years old, I decided to introduce him to Sagebooks and see how he did with it – surprisingly enough, he could recognize Chinese characters!

He loves books so much that there are numerous occasions when this book is his top choice for reading material first.

Each page of the lesson only consists of 1 sentence which does not overwhelm my kids at all.

Pace Ourselves

Many times when we get started reading the books, my kids would love to start reading from lesson one to the newest lesson.

I also like to ask them at the end of each lesson if they want to continue to the next or not. Therefore, they can decide whether they want to learn more characters or not.

Since my son started at an early stage (earlier than recommended), one lesson would take a few days before we go to the next lesson. In the end, it really depends on whether he remembers all the characters previously.

If he does not, then we will stay within the lesson and review back the previous lessons until he remembers. If he does remember, we will go on to the next chapter when he's ready.

There are times I feel like I want to progress them at a faster pace, but at the same time, it just might create anxiety for both me and my child.

Therefore, we take this series at a slower pace and also play with some activities to further deepen their knowledge of each of the characters they have been introduced to.

Other Sagebooks Supplemental Resources

Since these books only help improve their reading, I will supplement them with other materials and activities to improve their listening, speaking and writing.

For example, I will provide activity games which focus on the characters learned in Sagebooks to further deepen their understanding of the language.

Sagebook Resources:

• Sagebooks 1.1: 13 Free Tracing Chinese Characters Printable for Kids
• How to Teach Numbers Easily with Printable Flashcards (Chinese & English)
• 6 Fun Ways to Learn a Basic Chinese Character: 水
• 7 Fun Learning Activities The Basic Chinese Character of 木
• 22 Fun and Interactive Ways to Teach Kids Writing Chinese Characters
• How to Teach Chinese Writing Through Fun Q-Tip Painting Activity for Kids

Read: FREE Sagebooks 基礎漢字500 Resources: Printables, Worksheets, and Activities

Other Reviews From Bloggers

Here are other reviews about the Sagebooks I’ve read from other bloggers which you can check out.

• I taught my daughter 500+ Chinese characters! – Sweet Note Learning
• Sagebooks 500: Chinese Levelled Reader Review – Lah Lah Banana
• Sage Book Basic Chinese 500 Readers. How effective are they? – Mandarin Homeschool
• Sagebooks – Mandarin Mama
• Sagebooks Intro: Sagebooks are Magic! – Mama Baby Mandarin

Where to Buy Sagebooks?

Here are some of the online bookstores you can buy from depending where you are:

• Sagebooks Hong Kong – Hong Kong
• Little Kozzi – Canada & USA
• China Sprout – Global
• Glora's Bookstore – Canada & USA
• Seeds Children's Bookstore – Hong Kong

Final Thoughts – Would I Recommend Sagebooks For You And Your Children To Read Chinese?

Yes, I would definitely recommend Sagebooks Chinese for Kids Beginner 500《基础汉字500》for anyone who wants to introduce their children to reading Chinese.

Here are some examples of who may benefit from using Sagebooks:

1. Beginner readers: Children who have some basic understanding of Chinese characters but need to improve their reading skills can benefit greatly from working through the Sagebooks series.
   
2. Homeschooling families: Sagebooks provides a structured and comprehensive approach to learning Chinese characters, which can be particularly helpful for homeschooling families who may not have access to formal language instruction.
   
3. Parents with limited Chinese language proficiency: For parents who may not be fluent in Chinese themselves, Sagebooks provides an accessible way to support their child's language development and learn alongside them.

However, Sagebooks may not be a suitable choice for everyone. Here are some examples who may not benefit from using Sagebooks:

1. Advanced readers: Children who are already advanced in their Chinese reading skills may find the stories in Sagebooks too simple and repetitive, which could make them less engaging.
   
2. Those looking for a comprehensive language program: While Sagebooks can help develop reading skills, they do not provide much support for developing speaking or listening skills in Chinese. If you're looking for a more comprehensive language program, you may want to consider other options.
   
3. Those on a tight budget: The cost of purchasing a full set of Sagebooks can be relatively high compared to other Chinese reading materials, so it may not be the best option for families on a tight budget.

Ultimately, whether or not Sagebooks is right for your child will depend on their individual needs and learning style. It's always a good idea to carefully evaluate your options before making any purchase decisions. Leave your comment below if you too also have a review or question about Sagebooks.