Sali Mali facts for kids
Sali Mali is a very popular character from Wales. She stars in children's books and TV shows. Sali Mali was first created by the writer Mary Vaughan Jones and drawn by Rowena Wyn Jones in the 1960s and 1970s. Many children in Wales learned to read by enjoying the Sali Mali books.
Sali Mali Books
After Mary Vaughan Jones passed away, many of her first books were printed again. The rights to the books belonged to Cymdeithas Lyfrau Ceredigion until Gomer Press bought the publisher in 2009.
Here are some of the characters you can find in the Sali Mali stories:
- Sali Mali
- Jac Do (Jackdaw)
- Jaci Soch
- Jac y Jwc
- Jini
- Tomos Caradog (Thomas Caradog)
- Nicw Nacw
- Pry Bach Tew
- Siani Flewog
- Dwmplen Malwoden
- Morgan and Magi Ann
- Mop Golchi Llestri (Dish Washing Mop)
- Llwy Bren (Wooden Spoon)
- Sosban Fach (Small Saucepan)
New Sali Mali books for children were written by Dylan Williams and drawn by Simon Bradbury. One of these books caused some discussion in December 2007. This book was called Sali Mali a'r Hwdi Chwim. In the story, Sali Mali's iPod is taken by a character wearing a hoodie. Some bookshops decided not to sell the book because of this.
Sali Mali on TV
An animated TV series about Sali Mali was made by Siriol Productions and Cymru Cyfru and Calon for S4C in 2000. The song for the show was sung by Cerys Matthews. In some versions, Angharad Bisby sang the song. The famous actor Rhys Ifans tells the stories in the series. Sali Mali was also shown in English on Nickelodeon. The show now airs on Channel 4 and has also been sold to countries in Scandinavia.
Caffi Sali Mali and Pentre Bach
A TV show for younger children called Caffi Sali Mali was made by Sianco for S4C in 1994. There was also another show that came from this one, called Slot Syniadau Sali. Ifana Savill wrote these shows. She used the characters that Mary Vaughan Jones created. These characters include Sali Mali's pet bird, Jac-do, and her good friend, Jac y Jwc. This series uses actors in costumes and puppets.
In Caffi Sali Mali, Sali Mali runs a cafe in a small village called "Pentre Bach". This means Little Village in English. A follow-up series, also called Pentre Bach, had 52 episodes. It started on September 6, 2004. This show was filmed in a village built just for the series in Blaenpennal. This village is also a guest centre run by Ifana and Adrian Savill. In April 2006, Al-Jazeera bought the rights to the series. This meant it could be shown across the Middle East in Arabic.
The Sali Mali shows have been translated into many languages, including:
- English
- German
- Danish
- Welsh
- Arabic
- Norwegian
- Spanish
- Polish
- Korean
Sali Mali Episodes
Here is a list of some of the Sali Mali episodes:
- Autumn Leaves
- Little Lamb Lost
- Dirty Feet
- Time Flies
- Windy Day
- Stowaway Guest
- Leaving Home
- Christmas Eve
- Digging for Treasure
- Splash Day
- Wet Paint
- Hot and Bothered
- Playing in the Snow
- Snowed In
- Hide and Eek
- Who Ate The Lettuce?
- Twins
- Hot Day
- Say Cheese
- Lost Friends
- Easter Eggstravaganza
- Blackberry Belly
- A Model Model
- Chimney Weep
- Snow Fun
- Mushroom Madness
- Have An Ice-Day
- Feeding the Birds
- Sing Along A-Sali
- Achoo
- Naughty Day
- Spring Clean
- Mama Jackdaw
- One, Two, Three
- At The Seaside
- Let's Go Camping
- Happy Birthday, Jackdaw
- Falling Leaves
- Bake A Cake
- Balloon Race
- How Does Your Garden Grow
- The Storm
- The Visitors
- Snap!
- Making Music
- The New Teddy
- Sticky Toffee
- Boo!
- Making Masks
- Keep Fit
- All Tied Up
- He's Been Framed
You can find a list of Sali Mali books that are currently available to buy at Gomer Press.
