Little Panda

by Renata Liwska, Renata Liwska (Illustrator)

Overview

In the misty mountains a little panda bear climbs tall trees, munches sweet bamboo, and curls up in his favorite perch to sleep. It is just right—until Mother Panda goes looking for a snack and Little Panda’s nap is disturbed by something unexpected. What was it that his mother told him he should do? This is the perfect story to reassure little ones that parents always return.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780547529141
Publisher:	HarperCollins Publishers
Publication date:	10/27/2008
Sold by:	HARPERCOLLINS
Format:	eBook
Pages:	32
File size:	18 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.
Age Range:	4 - 8 Years

About the Author

Renata Liwska lives and works in Calgary, Canada, with her illustrator husband, Mike. Her childhood memories are of growing up in Warsaw, Poland.

Editorial Reviews

Grandfather Panda has a treat for his little grandson: a "once upon a time" story about another little panda and "the tiger that flew." "That's silly," says the grandson, but, as promised, the fictional tiger, who had a panda dinner on his mind, really does fly, thanks to some quick panda thinking and the laws of physics. In her authorial debut, Liwska (illustrator of Nikolai, the Only Bear) delivers a prime example of unadulterated storytelling-her tale unspools not with any Big Life Lesson in mind, but just for the old-fashioned pleasure of one generation connecting to another. In every word, readers can hear the wise, wry voice of a narrator who knows how to hold a child's attention. The illustrations, a combination of pencil and soft digital color, evoke the simplicity of traditional Chinese art and underscore the intimacy of the book's small format. Ages 3-6. (Oct.)

Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Publishers Weekly

PreS-Gr 1

Grandfather Panda informs his grandson, "I'm going to tell you a story of a little panda and the tiger that flew." Though the youngster thinks the idea is laughable, Grandfather introduces Bao Bao, a panda who lived with his mother and spent his time climbing trees, playing chase, and falling down. However, "Playing was not just for fun. It was also the way Lin Lin taught Bao Bao important panda lessons." While his mother traveled off to search for food (the illustration amusingly shows Lin Lin riding through a river setting in a passenger boat poled by a human), Bao Bao often napped in his favorite tree. One day, a hungry tiger climbed up Bao Bao's branch, and the panda escaped by falling down, causing the branch to snap up and send the predator flying. He doesn't understand why his returning mother saw an airborne tiger: "That's silly. Tigers can't fly!" After Grandfather finishes, his grandson admits that maybe the story could be true. There are many playful elements to this tale of family storytelling, and Liwska's mélange of the fanciful and the real is well crafted in the smooth telling and artwork. Deftly drawn and softly colored, the animals are both comic and endearing. Grandfather, who wears a small pointed cap, is the only creature with human trappings. An inviting choice for read-aloud sharing.-Margaret Bush, Simmons College, Boston

School Library Journal

"In her authorial debut, Liwska . . . delivers a prime example of unadulterated storytelling . . . In every word, readers can hear the wise, wry voice of a narrator who knows how to hold a child's attention. The illustrations, a combination of pencil and soft digital color, evoke the simplicity of traditional Chinese art and underscore the intimacy of the book's small format." September 22, 2008 Publishers Weekly

"Liwska's tale is generously imbued with a gentle humor that is echoed in her digitally colored pencil drawings. Keeping the roly-poly black-and-white principals just this side of saccharine is no mean feat, but both text and illustrations are up to the challenge as they unfold with wily deliberations. Much like this whimsical tale, the elegant illustrations hold small surprises for perceptive readers to enjoy." October 1, 2008 Kirkus Reviews —

From the Publisher