The Associated Press

The 34th season of TV's Sesame Street emphasizes the lives of children near and far as the PBS show launches a new segment called "Global Grover."

The fuzzy blue character will introduce live-action short films from productions of Sesame Street all over the world, showing youngsters in their natural environments.

"Since 9-11, we wanted to bring children from around the world to our viewing audience so they (the young viewers) can learn about all the similarities and all the cultural differences to be celebrated," says Rosemarie Truglio, vice president of education and research for Sesame Workshop, which produces the show (10 a.m. Monday-Friday, Channel 48; 11 a.m. Monday-Friday, Channel 54; 3 p.m. Monday-Friday, Channel 16).

She says American preschoolers will see that while Mongolian toddlers might spend part of their day learning a traditional dance, the rest of their lives aren't so different: they eat, sleep, laugh with friends, hug their parents.

"What's beautiful about these segments is these children don't look like our typical viewer but their focus really is mastering a skill, just like the kids we know," Truglio says. "A child can watch and say, 'They're learners just like me."'

In addition to these global guests, the longest-running children's TV series also has booked some famous faces for the new season: first lady Laura Bush, singer Sheryl Crow, newscaster Diane Sawyer and actress Natalie Portman are scheduled to appear.