Giant Pandas

by Gail Gibbons

Overview

Giant pandas: they are indigenous to China and are adored the world over. But they are more than a bundle of fluff and squeaks. Giant pandas are energetic climbers and swimmers. In one year, they may eat around 10,000 pounds of bamboo. And people in China have worked together to create protected areas for giant pandas to live peacefully.

Discover a detailed introduction to giant pandas - including baby panda development - in this beautifully illustrated nonfiction picture book. Gail Gibbons adds another book to her widespread collection of nonfiction for young readers of all levels, and introduces the topic of conservation in the process.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780823418282
Publisher:	Holiday House
Publication date:	03/01/2004
Pages:	32
Sales rank:	1,049,149
Product dimensions:	9.79(w) x 9.98(h) x 0.12(d)
Lexile:	NC860L (what's this?)
Age Range:	4 - 8 Years

About the Author

According to The Washington Post, Gail Gibbons "has taught more preschoolers and early readers about the world than any other children's writer-illustrator." Ms. Gibbons has published more than 100 informational titles, including the bestselling titles From Seed to Plant and Monarch Butterfly, all fully vetted by experts. Her many honors include the Washington Post/Children's Book Guild Nonfiction Award and the NSTA Outstanding Science Trade Book Award.

Editorial Reviews

"As ever, Gibbons encourages early readers by sticking to the facts and keeping her sentence structure simple. Stylized, instructive watercolor paintings convey a genuine affection for this appealing animal. A map of China showing the diminishing panda population is included, as are more tantalizing panda facts at the close of the book. A useful addition to any endangered species collection." - Booklist

From the Publisher

Gr 1-4-This clear, readable text explains where the giant panda may be found, its physical characteristics, habits, life cycle, and present status in the wild and in zoos. A final fact page includes dates and statistics, and mentions the two pandas on loan from China at the Washington, DC, zoo. Gibbons's art, with sketchy lines and transparent watercolor backgrounds, rather than the bolder and brighter cartoon style she often uses, amplifies the information about this "gentle giant." A solid choice.-Sally Bates Goodroe, formerly at Harris County Public Library, Houston, TX Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information.

School Library Journal

A rather lackluster primer on the big black-and-white mammal from one of the deans of picture book nonfiction. The basic facts—range, diet, reproduction, behavior, anatomy, conservation efforts—are dutifully presented in a straightforward manner but with little attention to smooth transitions or to flow. One double-page spread features on the left a picture of a giant panda rubbing its posterior against a tree to leave scent, while the facing page abruptly introduces the diet; turn the page again for more information on bamboo. The charming pen-and-ink and watercolor illustrations are signature Gibbons (Halloween Is, p. 1129, etc.), but they suffer from a certain monotony of palette, as she depicts the black-and-white creatures over and over again against pale blue sky or water and pale green bamboo. Also signature Gibbons is the descent into breathless assertion at the end: "Whenever there are giant pandas in a zoo, people love to come to see them. They look like big, chubby, black-and-white teddy bears that are very playful. It is so much fun to watch them." Such a conclusion robs the preceding text of any dignity and mercilessly patronizes its audience. A final page provides additional facts about pandas, but there is no list of recommended further reading or indication of any sources. A barely acceptable offering from an author-illustrator who is capable of much better work. (Picture book/nonfiction. 4-7)

Kirkus Reviews