Good night, Mr. Panda

PreS-Gr 1-After attempting to teach a bevy of boorish beasts good manners (Please, Mr. Panda; Thank You, Mr. Panda; I'll Wait, Mr. Panda), the titular character now tries to convince the animals to adhere to a proper bedtime routine. They blithely ignore his suggestions that they brush their teeth, take baths, and don their pajamas. Mr. Panda doesn't respond, but his hilarious grimaces and scowls say it all. As usual, the only one listening to the wise panda is an endearingly enthusiastic ring-tailed lemur. Antony's appealingly spare artwork is flavored with whimsy, especially his depiction of rotund Mr. Panda, whose doughnut-covered jammies are a witty nod to the tasty treats he hawked in his debut outing. Occasional spots of color pop against the dark blue backdrop. The ending falls a bit flat in comparison with the earlier volumes. Still, this snarky yet ultimately sweet story is bound to amuse little ones. VERDICT With its deadpan humor, this is a welcome departure from more formulaic bedtime books. A funny and original one-on-one nighttime read.-Mahnaz Dar, School Library Journal © Copyright 2018. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Mr. Panda knows how to prepare appropriately for bedtime.Mr. Panda is not too sleepy to note the steps his many friends have skipped on their ways to bed, and it is clear that, to him, their omissions are evidence of behavior that is simply not up to standard. To a hippo whose wide-open jaws appear to emit wafts of bad breath, Mr. Panda says, from his own bubbly bath, "You've forgotten to brush your teeth," and to an apparently stinky skunk, "You've forgotten to take a bath." The hippo and the skunk promise to remedy their lapses at some future point, but a lemur that breaks the frame from above happily claims to have a "minty fresh" mouth and to be "squeaky clean." Mr. Panda's pajamas are decorated with multicolored doughnuts, and the matching stocking cap perched on his head is tiny, yet he manages to convey his usual sense of forbearance and dignity. Sheep in nothing but their wool tell Mr. Panda that they don't wear pajamas, but the lemur sports suitably stripy ones. Though Mr. Panda shows his vulnerable side as he succumbs to sleep at last, the contrast between Mr. Panda's monumental seriousness and all the other story elements (such as the bright-eyed panda cuddly toy he takes with him to bed) is hilarious and charming. Perfect for encouraging a decorous bedtime. (Picture book. 2-5) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.