From the Publisher
"Children will easily connect with the animals’ fear and relief, conveyed in their expressive faces. - Booklist
School Library Journal
PreS-Gr 2—This suspenseful, fictionalized picture book is based on a 2008 earthquake in Northern China. When the wall of a nature reserve enclosure tumbles during a quake, a frightened giant panda and her cub, Tengfei, run away. Liling seeks safety, and the two spend the night in a shallow cave. The next day mother and cub explore their surroundings, searching for a way home. The pandas are suddenly shot with medicated darts, and humans return the pair to the reserve. Perry quickly draws readers into this well-told story. It is an interesting and rare look at how animals are affected by natural disasters. Detwiler's painterly spreads, rich in deep greens and browns, show a lifelike Liling and Tengfei. Like a panda's fur, two colors, white and black, are used for the type. A "Creative Minds" section supplements the tale with material on earthquakes, the Richter scale, and pandas. Perry's story can stand alone without the extras, but teachers needing lesson-plan material will find the back matter helpful. For a look at a panda cub's first year of life, pair this book with Caroline Arnold's A Panda's World (Picture Window, 2006). A worthy, informative picture book.—Lynn K. Vanca, Akron-Summit County Public Library, Richfield, OH
