Chengdu can do

Barney Saltzberg

Book - 2017

Chengdu, a little panda, tries to do as much as he can on his own, until he learns he could use some help.

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Location Call Number   Status
Children's Room jE/Saltzber Checked In
Subjects
Genres
Picture books
Published
Los Angeles ; New York : Disney-Hyperion [2017]
Language
English
Main Author
Barney Saltzberg (author)
Edition
First edition
Physical Description
40 unnumbered pages : color illustrations ; 24 cm
ISBN
9781484758472
Contents unavailable.
Review by Horn Book Review

In Chengdu Would Not, Could Not Fall Asleep (rev. 5/14), readers met Chengdu the panda, who was desperately trying to fall asleep. Now it is daytime; Chengdu wakes up; and he is feeling very hungry. He climbs down from his tree, determined to find breakfast all by himself. Gentle visual humor provides the big picture as Chengdu struggles (and fails) to reach bamboo leaves at the top of another tree. The text names each thing capable Chengdu can do, but these actions get him no closer to his goal. He can jump--but not high enough. He can climb--but the slender bamboo bends under his weight. Then a gatefold illustration shows him swinging back and forth as the bamboo sways; a series of cut pages reveals Chengdu sailing through the air when the bamboo snaps back: Sometimes / Chengdu / can even fly. Saltzberg wisely keeps the pencil and watercolor illustrations clean and clear so viewers can focus on the action and the vibrant green bamboo set against a gray-blue sky as the tempting leaves remain out of reach. Chengdus solemn expression keeps the story from getting too cutesy, and children can enjoy both his determination and a happy resolution when he finally gets some much-needed help. susan dove lempke (c) Copyright 2017. 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

The roly-poly panda of Chengdu Could Not, Would Not, Fall Asleep (2014) wakes up hungry. Just like a toddler, Chengdu can do a lot of things "all by himself." He can get down from his branch, jump, push and pull, climb, swing back and forth, even flyalmost. So he demonstrates in the soft-focus illustrations, though his efforts to get to the bamboo fronds that hang tantalizingly just out of reach are frustrated again and again. As in Chengdu's first outing, Saltzberg uses artful page turns, gatefolds, and half pages to endow his grave-looking panda's patient quest for breakfast with action and humor. Yes, Chengdu does a lot all by himself, but for some tasks, such as bending down a bamboo stalk, "there are times when Chengdu can / use a little help." Enter a pair of pandas, one of parental size, to lend a paw. With a narrative text that extends to just nine sentences, the book depends on the design to pace readers. Manipulating the various gatefolds slows them down to panda speed, resulting in a satisfying read-aloud. A cozy declaration of independencewith a caveat that's not just for toddlers. (Picture book. 2-5) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.