Synopsis: Koga and Friends follows the adventures of a ten-year-old boy named Koga whose mother is a kung fu master and whose father is a yogi. Koga teaches his gang of friends how to utilize practical mind/body techniques while navigating through entertaining storylines.

In the "Shelter" episode Koga teaches his sister, Lily, how to breathe through some stitches she has to get. Later, Koga's family brings their friend Rosa to an animal shelter where she encounters an emotionally wounded dog whom she adopts.

Juror comments: Koga and Friends is an episodic show with wonderfully inspiring stories.

The storyline follows a 10-year-old boy who teaches children how to be in control of their fears through yoga exercises and to be sensitive to others, animals, or humans that may be in crisis.

The show’s concepts teach kids important life skills at an early age. In the first part, Koga helps his little sister, Lily, who has to get stitches on her cut foot. She is crying when she first comes to the nurse’s office and Koga helps her to be brave by doing the Flying Tiger exercise. It’s accompanied by gentle music. The 2D animation pulls this off quite well, including the emotions of the children, which come across as adorable, authentic, and uplifting. In the second part, Koga’s entire family takes a precious little Hispanic girl to the animal shelter to pick out a dog for her family. They all learn about animals, including two yoga poses inspired by animals - the downward dog and the cat position. The songs that the family sings during this episode inspire the animals to join in and are a very sweet touch.

The message of this film is that there are powerful techniques in yoga, karate, and meditation that can help young children cope with challenging situations and, if you know how to do these things, you can share with others. Loving-kindness is the best medicine.

I give Koga and Friends: Shelter 5 out of 5 stars and recommended it for ages 3 to 12, plus adults. By Nancy K., KIDS FIRST!