Say 'Ni Hao' to Full Week of Brand-New Episodes of Nick Jr.'S Acclaimed New Animated Series Ni Hao, Kai-lan, Beginning Monday, March 24, at 11:00 A.M. (ET/PT)

NEW YORK, March 10 /PRNewswire/ -- Preschoolers will join Kai-lan, the newest kid on the Nick Jr. block, on four new half-hour adventures -- a safari expedition, a hat parade, a playdate in the rain and a snow ride -- during a premiere week of the groundbreaking animated series Ni Hao, Kai-lan. The new episodes, which introduce preschoolers to Chinese culture and language, will roll out Monday, March 24 - Thursday, March 27, at 11:00 a.m. (ET/PT) on Nick Jr., culminating with a marathon of the episodes on Friday, March 28, (11:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m., ET/PT). Since its recent Feb. 7 premiere, Ni Hao, Kai-lan currently ranks as the number-three show on Nick Jr., right behind Dora the Explorer and The Wonder Pets!. The show is also in the top five among all preschool programs on commercial television. Ni Hao, Kai-lan airs regularly weekdays at 11:00 a.m. (ET/PT) on Nick Jr.

Ni Hao, Kai-lan is an original 20-episode series that teaches 2-5 year olds Mandarin words and phrases for the first time on television. Ni Hao, Kai-lan is also Nick Jr.'s first play-along, think-along series to feature an intergenerational family. Through the eyes of a five-year-old Chinese- American girl named Kai-lan, the series explores the colorful aspects of her upbringing and background, her relationships with her family and friends and the world around her. Ni Hao, Kai-lan also helps preschoolers to identify their emotions and learn coping mechanisms to deal with their feelings.

The Ni Hao, Kai-lan premiere week schedule is as follows (all times are 11:00 a.m., ET/PT):

-- Monday, March 24 -- "Everybody's Hat Parade" -- Kai-lan notices Yeye's gardening hat and is inspired to make a hat of her own. When everyone in the backyard starts making hats too, Kai-lan declares they should have a hat parade. Rintoo makes a very original creation that everyone loves, but when Hoho copies his hat, Rintoo gets upset. Kai-lan and the viewers must find a way to show Rintoo that copying is a compliment, so the hat parade can go on. -- Tuesday, March 25 -- "Snowiest Ride" -- Kai-lan's backyard is covered in snow and as she finds a great hill for sledding, she sees beautiful ice sculptures at the bottom. After borrowing Yeye's sled, she gathers her friends together to ride down the hill. Everyone is excited except for Tolee, who jumps off the sled at the last minute and runs away. He is scared and it's up to Kai-lan and the viewers to help him overcome his fear of sledding by breaking it down into small, manageable steps. They start with a small hill, then a medium-sized hill, and then finally the big hill. Tolee gets over his fear and soon everyone is zooming down to see the magical and mysterious ice sculptures. -- Wednesday, March 26 -- "Safari Pals" -- When Kai-lan discovers mysterious footprints, she leads her friends on a safari through the backyard to find out who made them. During their journey, they meet a big, friendly elephant named Stompy and Kai-lan invites him on the safari. While most are delighted to see Stompy do cool things, Rintoo becomes jealous and leaves. Kai-lan and the viewers must show Rintoo there's something special about him too - he's extremely fast! Soon enough, Rintoo isn't feeling jealous anymore and they continue the safari to determine who made the tracks. -- Thursday, March 27 -- "Rain or Shine" -- Kai-lan and her friends plan a big day of outdoor play when it suddenly starts raining! Kai-lan happily finds a way to play outside, but Rintoo, Tolee and Hoho are upset that the weather has stopped them from playing the way they planned. With the viewers help, Rintoo, Tolee and Hoho realize that Kai-lan isn't thinking about what she can't do in the rain, she's thinking about what she can do! Soon they all find plenty of great things to do, and have a fantastic time in the rain. -- Friday, March 28 (11:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.): Above four episodes will repeat in a two-hour marathon.

Ni Hao, Kai-lan stars Kai-lan Chow, a playful, adventurous bi-lingual preschooler with a big heart, who speaks both English and Mandarin. Kai-lan's world is infused with Chinese culture, from the dumplings she eats and the lanterns that adorn her house to the huge Chinese New Year celebration she has with her family and friends. The series centers on Kai-lan and her relationships with her grandfather Yeye and her animal friends. Yeye plays a major role in her life as he gently and playfully guides her to her own discoveries. Kai-lan is a natural leader who is thoughtful and caring and has a gift for helping her friends when they really need her. Her best friends are Rintoo, a rambunctious five-year-old tiger who loves to play; Tolee, a five-year-old koala who always puts his friends first; Hoho, a three-year-old monkey full of boundless energy; and Lulu, a happy six-year-old pink rhino.

The series focuses on issues common to preschoolers such as taking turns, disappointment and jealousy, and supports an emotional intelligence curriculum highlighting cause and effect thinking in the social/emotional world. Ni Hao, Kai-lan provides simple coping strategies, set to song, that teach valuable lessons. Kai-lan strives to understand how things are linked together and she always wants to find out the reason why. Every episode follows the adventures of Kai-lan and her friends as they learn to identify their emotions and stop to consider the feelings of others. Kai-Lan leads them as they tackle such issues as what caused Rintoo to get mad, or how patience and practice help Tolee get better at rhyming.

Ni Hao, Kai-lan is created by Karen Chau and Executive Produced by Mary Harrington. Animation production for Ni Hao, Kai-lan is being done in conjunction with Wang Films and the Wang Studio in Greater China.

Nick Jr. is a specially designed programming block airing on Nickelodeon weekdays from 9 a.m. - 2:00 p.m. (ET/PT). Completely dedicated to preschoolers ages 2-5, Nick Jr.'s Emmy, Peabody and Parents' Choice Award- winning programs are curriculum based, fun and commercial free. At Nick Jr., kids play to learn with innovative, original shows created just for them.

Nickelodeon, in its 28th year, is the number-one entertainment brand for kids. It has built a diverse, global business by putting kids first in everything it does. The company includes television programming and production in the United States and around the world, plus consumer products, online, recreation, books, magazines and feature films. Nickelodeon's U.S. television network is seen in more than 96 million households and has been the number-one-rated basic cable network for more than 13 consecutive years. Nickelodeon and all related titles, characters and logos are trademarks of Viacom Inc. .