Little Panda - Hardcover

Renata Liwska lives and works in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. She is the illustrator of the New York Times best-selling and critically acclaimed picture book The Quiet Book written by Deborah Underwood. She has also illustrated a sequel The Loud Book, and the The Christmas Quiet Book. Other books include Places to Be by Mac Barnett, Boom, Snot, Twitty written by Doreen Cronin, and Once Upon a Memory written by Nina Laden. Renata has written and illustrated Red Wagon and Little Panda. Visit her at RenataLiwska.com.

PreSchool-Grade 1—Grandfather Panda informs his grandson, "I'm going to tell you a story of a little panda and the tiger that flew." Though the youngster thinks the idea is laughable, Grandfather introduces Bao Bao, a panda who lived with his mother and spent his time climbing trees, playing chase, and falling down. However, "Playing was not just for fun. It was also the way Lin Lin taught Bao Bao important panda lessons." While his mother traveled off to search for food (the illustration amusingly shows Lin Lin riding through a river setting in a passenger boat poled by a human), Bao Bao often napped in his favorite tree. One day, a hungry tiger climbed up Bao Bao's branch, and the panda escaped by falling down, causing the branch to snap up and send the predator flying. He doesn't understand why his returning mother saw an airborne tiger: "That's silly. Tigers can't fly!" After Grandfather finishes, his grandson admits that maybe the story could be true. There are many playful elements to this tale of family storytelling, and Liwska's mélange of the fanciful and the real is well crafted in the smooth telling and artwork. Deftly drawn and softly colored, the animals are both comic and endearing. Grandfather, who wears a small pointed cap, is the only creature with human trappings. An inviting choice for read-aloud sharing.—Margaret Bush, Simmons College, Boston
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