Review by School Library Journal Review
PreS-Gr 1-Lovely Asian-inspired illustrations on a silver background feature one lone panda searching for a kindred spirit. After noticing a female panda and desiring to befriend her, the protagonist observes other animals to see how it is done. He mimics flamingos dancing, lemurs bouncing, blue-footed boobies stomping and strutting, and a peacock showing off his tail feathers. Alas, though the chubby, rather uncoordinated panda tries his best to imitate the other creatures, he is unable to pull off any of these strategies with aplomb. He remains alone and dejected. That is, until he hears a friendly voice. At first, the two pandas appear very similar in looks, but upon careful observation, readers will see that the female panda wears a sweetheart neckline, so her torso resembles a rounded heart shape, while the male's entire tummy and chest are white. VERDICT This sweet, simple tale about the mystery of making a friend could be used with Keiko Kasza's The Pigs' Picnic for a storytime about being true to oneself. The art is best shared one-on-one or with a small group.-Maryann H. Owen, Children's Literature Specialist, Mt. Pleasant, WI © Copyright 2017. 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
When lonely Panda spies another panda, he tries to make friends the way he sees other animals doing so (dancing like flamingoes, bouncing like lemurs, etc.). Each attempt fails until he offers to share food. An unoriginal story is bolstered by the book's spare art and elegant design: silver and white pages are offset by the bright colors of other animals and leafy-green bamboo. (c) Copyright 2018. 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
After several setbacks, Panda finds a best friend.Deep in the dewy forest, Panda sits alone, wishing for a friend. Not far away, he sees another panda chewing on bamboo shoots and thinks this might be a likely friend, but he doesn't know how to approach. He tries dancing like the flamingos, but it is a series of misstepsliterally. Bouncing like the lemurs just has him landing with a plop. The blue-footed boobies strut majestically, and the peacock has dazzling feathers. Panda can't master the booby walk, and bamboo leaves are no substitute for the grandeur of the peacock's tail. Panda trudges off into the forest to eat his dinner. At this lowest moment, the other panda peeks out from between the bamboo to say hello. Panda has "his best idea yet." He offers to share, and a friendship is born. Lambert's lovely illustrations carry the story with minimal text; his pages have a shiny silver background, against which his realistic animal figures pop. His message on friendship persuades, to a point: can't Panda also be friends with animals who are different? The other panda is distinguished from Panda only by the brown of her eye patches; gray-patched Panda often appears multiple times on the page, which may lead younger listeners to wonder exactly how many pandas are in this book, so it's best used with older preschoolers who are practiced at decoding pictures. Sweet. (Picture book. 4-6) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
