Review by Booklist Review
It's hard having the perfect playmate next door when you are too shy to strike up a conversation. This is the predicament Panda and Pandora find themselves in, as they each struggle to overcome their hesitancy and make the first move. In rhyming text that is sometimes as tentative as the pandas, the story unfolds from longing looks to concern when each fears the other is gone to a happy accident that finally brings them together. These are pandas who have not chosen their own company over that of a playmate, which stresses the natural urge toward companionship. The illustrations provide just the right amount of bashful cuteness to make the reader empathize with the pandas and cheer for their success. Readers who are shy themselves will appreciate the pace at which the story unfolds, and will take heart that mustering up the courage to talk is an act of bravery.--Dean, Kara Copyright 2010 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by School Library Journal Review
PreS-K-Two pandas live next door to each other, with a fence between them. Panda would love to meet his neighbor, but he's too shy. Likewise, Pandora is too timid to make the first move. Winter comes, snow covers everything, and both of them stay indoors. When they start to realize that they haven't seen each other for quite a while, they work up the nerve to go outside and look for the other, colliding between their houses. "Two little pandas,/Close together,/Agreed to be friends./Forever and ever." The illustrations are done in watercolor and ink; they show the change of season well, and a couple of scenes include a parent watching from the window. This sweet story could give a gentle push to shy youngsters.-Ieva Bates, Ann Arbor District Library, MI (c) Copyright 2013. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Horn Book Review
In this simple story about having the courage to make new friends, lonely neighbors Panda and Pandora yearn to play with each other but are too shy to meet. When a snowstorm hits, the pandas finally reach out, literally colliding when they run to check on each other. Soft, wintry watercolors picture the soon-to-be-friends in sad solitude and then engaged in playtime. (c) Copyright 2013. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
When little ones are very timid, it can take some time to form a friendship. Panda lives at Number 1 Bamboo Gardens, right next door to Pandora at Number 2. He longs to say, "Please come over and play!" but for some reason, whenever he sees her, he runs away instead. Next door, Pandora isn't having much fun either. She can't seesaw by herself, and throwing a ball to nobody makes her sad. Then, one winter's day, it starts to snow. Panda rushes outside to make some snowballs, which he throws over the fence to Number 2. When Pandora doesn't respond, Panda gets worried. What if she feels poorly or has gone away? In truth, she's been inside the whole time, but she has the same worry about Panda. "Two very worried pandas / Wondered if they might / Be brave enough to go next door / And say, Are you all right?' " They open their doors to check, colliding midway. An instant bond is formed. Together Panda and Pandora build a snowman, bounce up and down on the seesaw, dance on their ice skates and read storybooks. Best of all, they promise to be friends "[f]orever and ever." Pandas make adorable stand-ins for little children, as Varley's friendly watercolor illustrations attest. Sweet tonic for skittish young listeners. (Picture book. 3-5)]] Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
