Sagebooks: The Books That Helped My Child Read Chinese

Over 2 years ago, despite being illiterate in Chinese, I taught 老大 (lǎodà / oldest child) how to read Chinese.  Now 5-year-old 老大 can read Chinese chapter books own, and I can read almost as well as her!  This dream was jump-started with the help of Sagebooks Sage Formula Beginner 500《基础汉字500》.

Disclaimer: I have no affiliation with Sagebooks HK and have received no compensation for this review.  All opinions here are honest reflections of my family’s personal experience.

Update: This post was originally written on November 25, 2017 and last updated on July 22, 2019 to reflect new information and answer FAQs.  For reference, dates have been added to edited content.

Recently, I was gifted a new set of Sagebooks 500 from Sagebooks as a thank you for providing a testimonial on one of their books.  The testimonial was a quote that they excerpted from my original review. We have not used the new books yet, and there was no expectation for a new review or social media shares.

Review of Sagebooks Chinese for Kids Beginner 500《基础汉字500》

I first heard about Sagebooks through GuavaRama and Mandarin Mama who successfully taught their children how to read traditional Chinese characters.  Grateful for their recommendation, I wanted to echo our positive experience with learning simplified Chinese.

ISBN:

• Simplified Chinese with pinyin and English 基礎漢字500 简体版 – 9789888239726
• Traditional Chinese with pinyin and English 基礎漢字500 繁体版 – 9789888239733

Author: Lucia L. Lau

Publisher: Sagebooks HK

Overview of Sage Formula Basic Chinese 500 《基础汉字500》

The Sagebooks curriculum teaches the most commonly used 500 Chinese characters.  The books are color-coded into 5 sets:

• Blue = Beginning Reader
• Green = Budding Reader
• Orange = Building Reader
• Pink = Confident Reader
• Red = Fluent Reader

Each set has 5 books with 20 lessons per book (5 x 5 x 20 = 500 Chinese words).

Take a look at the video below to preview the first book (traditional Chinese version).

When should kids use leveled readers like Sagebooks?

Leveled Readers are books for children who have a good foundation in Chinese speaking and are ready to read Chinese characters.  For advice on when your child might be ready to read, please refer to When and How to Teach Chinese Characters to Kids?

Leveled Chinese readers are different from regular books that parents should read everyday with children.

Picture books are an important bonding experience between parent and child.  They also give parents the chance to model good reading habits and also expand vocabulary and grammar beyond routine conversation.

Please see the “Chinese Books We Love” section of this website for recommended Chinese picture books for kids.

What age to use Sagebooks

The age range will vary depending on the child’s spoken fluency, print awareness, and attention span.  My daughter was ready to read Chinese at age 3, and I found the series helpful in my thirties!  🙂 However, interest in the content will vary from child to child.

I do not recommend Sagebooks for babies and young toddlers who would benefit from stories with realistic images rather than cartoons.

Why do we recommend Sagebooks 500《基础汉字500》?

Whole word method

In contrast to other curricula that first teach radicals or phonics (eg, Pinyin, Zhuyin), this series teaches each character as its own component

Spaced Repetition

Retention occurs naturally while the reader gains confidence from practicing familiar words in various sentences:

• Each lesson focuses on 1 new Chinese character and begins with an enlarged character showing stroke order.
• The new character appears several times within a lesson
• Subsequent lessons build on earlier lessons

Context

Except for the first lesson, new words are always introduced with earlier words so that children are learning how to read phrases and sentences immediately.  This is better than the flashcards which offer no context.

Large font

The Chinese characters are in large font while the pinyin or Zhuyin and English are in small font.  As a result, the characters are the main focus.

Simple illustrations

Cartoons serve as contextual prompts for new words, but their simplicity keeps the focus on the characters.

Initially, the pictures may seem random, but 老大 quickly noticed that the same family, friends, mountain, and animals are present throughout the series.  Also, 老大 noticed that all females have pink ovals on their cheeks while all males have swirls.

Audio/Video

• Read-along app:
  • New versions of Sagebooks now have a QR code that you can scan to play back the recordings of desired lesson or sentence via touch and scan instead of searching through the website. 
  • The app is available via iTunes and Google Play.
• Those with older versions of Sagebooks can still listen to native Mandarin speakers reading each book on their website.
• You can preview Sagebooks on their YouTube channel.

Sagebooks Parent guide

Their website has a bilingual blog in English and Chinese with detailed tips on how to learn Chinese with Sagebooks.

Free Sagebooks worksheets

Free coloring, pages, writing grids, and other learning resources are available on their website.

Also check this link under the “免費下載練習 Free Practice Sheets” section.

Customer service

I’ve contacted them a few times through their Facebook page with quick replies each time.

For example, although I had ordered all of our books through China Sprout who had sent one of our sets without a box cover, Sagebooks HK immediately shipped me a brand new replacement!

Official Sagebooks flashcards

Sagebooks now offers flashcards in traditional Chinese.  The laminated flashcards are in black, KaiTi font, and the edges are color-coded to match the book level.

Currently no simplified Chinese version is available.

Free Sagebooks flashcards and worksheets

Before these flashcards were available, many parents have been making their own personal study resources.

For my own reference, I made Chinese flashcards with Pinyin and English definitions at the back for reference.  All flashcards are plain so that the focus is on the Chinese character.  Black font is used for maximum contrast, and KaiTi script shows where strokes begin and end.

Our writing worksheets also have Pinyin and English definitions.

Please review Terms & Conditions before downloading any materials

You can download Sagebooks flashcards and worksheets from the following links:

Sagebooks flashcards

• Simplified Chinese Sagebooks flashcards
• Traditional Chinese Sagebooks flashcards
• Simplified Traditional Chinese Combined Sagebooks Flashcards (For families learning both scripts, simplified and traditional Chinese characters are on the front face of each flashcard).

Sagebooks writing worksheets

• Simplified Chinese writing worksheets
• Traditional Chinese writing worksheets

Please note that these are not official Sagebooks products and my daughter did not use them.  She was able to memorize the characters quickly from reading, and we did not begin writing at the time.

However, I have been using the flashcards for myself to review both simplified and traditional Chinese characters.

More printable Sagebooks activities

• Guavarama has many printable supplemental materials for Sagebooks.  These include Chinese flashcards, hundred board, heteronym reference sheet, and Skritter characters lists.
• Mama Baby Mandarin has printable stroke order worksheets and character searching games.

Sagebooks flashcards on Quizlet

On Quizlet, online Sagebooks flashcards have traditional Chinese characters and Zhuyin.

How did we use Sage Formula Basic 500《基础汉字500》?

老大 knew a little over 100 basic Chinese characters before starting Sagebooks through various activities.

老大 and I read 1-2x per day for a few minutes at before her nap and again at bedtime.  At the start of each lesson, we traced the new character with our fingers following stroke order.  Then, we would take turns reading each page.

I’m so glad that we bought the whole set because 老大 was very motivated to progress to “the next color”.  She would peek at the pictures and be curious to learn about the next stories.

Every day, she read the books in the bathroom and car, and we completed the 4th book (pink confident reader) after about 3 months.

However, we had to take a break before the 5th book (red fluent reader) as my daughter was going through an anti-reading phase.  During this time, we focused on hands-on Chinese activities to rekindle her interest.  After a few weeks, we got back into our reading groove and finished the last set.

Sagebooks recommends that most children should not rush and would benefit from 1 lesson per day, thereby completing the series within 18 months.  Although I was worried that my 老大 had finished the series too fast, she retained almost all characters and can read many other books independently!  

Photos inside Sage Formula Basic 500《基础汉字500》

Here are pictures of the simplified Chinese books we used:

Any downsides?

Yes!

Lack of page numbers

I wish there were page numbers in the version that we read.  When I provided feedback to Sagebooks, they said “We had initially wanted to keep things simple for the child.  But after receiving many requests from teachers and parents, we have since added page numbers to the later editions.”

Cartoon illustrations

I was surprised that the author, a Montessori teacher, chose cartoons for illustrations.  Realistic illustrations are more educational and support the text better than abstract cartoons, especially for young children.

Lack of a storyline

The stories may be boring for older children, but this was not a problem for my toddler.

Cost

The set is very expensive.

Why is Chinese learning so expensive?  My parents would not have been able to afford this series during my childhood.

How does Sagebooks compare to other beginner readers?

Click on the below links to see my reviews of other popular Chinese leveled readers that we have used:

• Greenfield – I Can Read Myself Series* + audio CD (Mandarin + Cantonese)
• 四五快读
• Odonata Chinese Readers
• 樂樂文化 Le Le Chinese Reading Pen

老大 and I have enjoyed using each of these curricula.  However, I think the first two are better for reading practice after Sagebooks.

Greenfield does not have much spaced repetition, and 四五快读 has too many Chinese characters on a page for new learners.  Also, 四五快读 has no audio.

Odonata might be okay as a single curriculum.  However, since Odonata does not have as much spaced repetition, especially as the levels become more advanced, many parents have to supplement with activities and other reinforcement.

Edit 3/31/2019

We completed 樂樂文化 Le Le Chinese Reading Pen, a set of 300 booklets that teaches 1000 Chinese characters with the help of a reading pen.  This is an excellent series for non-native families to practice Chinese reading and broaden vocabulary.

If you cannot speak or read Chinese well, I recommend using the Le Le Chinese series prior to Sagebooks.  This is what I would have done if Le Le Readers were available a few years ago.  Currently, I am reading the Le Le Chinese books with my 2.5-year-old son and holding off on Sagebooks until he is older.

Please see Chinese Leveled Readers: Comparison of Graded Books for Kids for a detailed side-by-side comparison of major Chinese leveled readers.

Cost of Sagebooks 500《基础汉字500》

As of July 2019, the retail price of Basic Chinese 500 + Treasure Box Readers is US$422.62.

The cost of Sagebooks Basic 500 without the Treasure Box Readers is US$283.40.

Conversion and shipping rates vary by region.

Where to buy Sagebooks 500《基础汉字500》

You can buy Sagebooks at the following locations:

• Sagebooks online store (Based in Hong Kong)
• Seeds Hong Kong Children’s Bookstore (Based in Hong Kong)
• Gloria’s Online Bookstore (Based in USA)
• Popular Bookstore (Sold only in stores and not online in Malaysia)
• China Sprout

Update 7/22/2019:

I have heard other parents share positive experiences of ordering from complete Sagebooks sets and supplemental materials directly from Sagebooks and also Seeds HK.

Popular Bookstore in Singapore in Malaysia carries the simplified Chinese version of Sagebooks. However, the books are usually sold individually and not in sets.

Although Sagebooks sets are sold at China Sprout, a few parents have reported negative experiences with unprofessional service waiting for backordered Sagebooks sets at China Sprout.  For this reason, I recommend parents to shop elsewhere for Sagebooks.  

In summary, I highly recommend Sagebooks Basic 500.

Still undecided?  Check out these helpful Chinese homeschooling blogs Mandarin Mama and GuavaRama for their detailed reviews on how their children used Sagebooks to learn Chinese.

Where to buy Chinese books for kids

For more Chinese book recommendations for kids, please visit and bookmark this link of our favorite books!  Every week, I will be adding book reviews to this website!

If you’re wondering where to buy Chinese books for children, please click here for a list of the most popular online bookstores!

Free Chinese Books for Kids

• Free Chinese Audiobooks for Children on Ximalaya 喜马拉雅
• Websites and Apps with FREE Multilingual Books for Kids

Recommended articles about how to teach kids Chinese

• Tips on creating a Chinese learning environment at home
  • Teach Your Child a Second Language at Home with 5 Key Steps
  • Raising Multilingual Children as a Non-Fluent Parent: 7 Lessons Learned in 2018
  • How To Get Your Child To Speak the Minority Language
• How To Learn Chinese as a Busy Parent: 10+ Strategies (This post focuses on how I am learning Chinese)
• Teach kids how to read Chinese
  • When and How to Introduce Chinese Characters to Kids?
  • 10 Ways to Encourage Your Child to Read
  • Create a Print-Rich Environment with Labels that Promote Literacy
  • How I Taught My Child 1000+ Chinese Characters as a Non-Fluent Speaker
  • When Should My Child Learn Hanyu Pinyin?

Bilingual English and Chinese Facebook Parent Support Groups

As always, please leave a comment with any questions, and I’ll try my best to answer them!  Or better yet, ask other supportive parents in these bilingual Facebook groups:

• Montessori-inspired Kids Learning Chinese and English
• Christian Parents Raising Bilingual Children in English & Chinese
• Raising Bilingual Children in Chinese & English

Happy reading, friends!