Review by Booklist Review
Ages 5^-8. With only 1,000 pandas left in the world, it's an event when one is born in captivity. Ryder's photo-essay chronicles the life of Hua Mei, born at the World Famous San Diego Zoo in 1999. The initial text and photos are a bit confusing. The text reads "A baby panda curls within," while the accompanying grainy, close-up black-and-white photograph, shot in the cage, looks almost like a sonogram. But the cub, resembling a newborn mouse, is actually nestled against its mother. After a few spreads, the photos become color, and the cub begins to look like a panda. There are shots of it being examined and measured, taking its first steps, and acclimating itself to an outdoor environment. Ryder's brief, almost haiku-like text is bolstered by informative paragraphs set in smaller type. The crisp, engaging photos were provided by the zoo. It's easy to love pandas, and kids will enjoy browsing through this and getting the behind-the-scenes story. (Apparently "world famous" is now part of the zoo's official name, but the use of it throughout the book is annoying). Ilene Cooper
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
The first giant panda cub ever to survive in captivity in the Western Hemisphere takes center stage in Little Panda by Joanne Ryder, with photographs that follow her from a "pink and pale" cub to the thriving black-and-white Hua Mei (her name means "China-USA") who lives in the San Diego Zoo. With abundant accessible details included in factoids ("Her fur feels much like a German shepherd's), a minimum of text and a maximum of photos, this volume will win Hua Mei many fans. ( Mar.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Review by School Library Journal Review
K-Gr 4-Ryder introduces readers to Hua Mei via photographs taken inside the panda den, and then shows how her days unfold during her first year of life at the San Diego Zoo. The large sans-serif text is infused with adjectives and exclamations, giving a storylike quality to the primary narrative: "Look at her! She is sitting and standing now, eager to take her first steps." Smaller, italicized text gives a factual account of her biological development such as, "Pandas are born blind.-It can take up to four months before a panda will take its first steps." Full-color photographs capture the adorable youngster and her mother engaging in typical panda antics. Readers can see the zoo doctors weighing and measuring Hua Mei in her infancy to becoming a 20-pound youth and playing alongside 200-pound Bai Yun. This engaging book will complement any curriculum about animal extinction and environmental responsibility. It is also an appealing choice for general reading.-Tina Hudak, St. Bernard's School, Riverdale, MD (c) Copyright 2010. 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
(Preschool, Primary) It's a good thing giant pandas are so appealing. As one of the more endangered animals, their large childlike markings and playful manner seem to guarantee, if not their survival, at least our best efforts at saving them. These personable qualities helped fuel the intense interest in Hua Mei's birth at the San Diego Zoo in August 1999. Widely covered by the media (and widely viewed on the Web via PandaCam), the real story is not so much her birth as her survival: Hua Mei is the first panda born in captivity in the Western hemisphere to survive more than four days. Joanne Ryder uses simple words and short sentences in a text geared toward a very young audience while providing additional scientific information in smaller print. The first-rate text is upstaged by photographs showing the endearing baby getting a checkup, taking her first steps, climbing, and playing with her mother. While large portraits of the cub are plentiful, the sequences of smaller photos showing Hua Mei in action provide a rare ""you are there"" quality. Ryder makes clear that, as the poster animals for endangered species, giant pandas will rely on future human generations for their survival. (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted. All rights reserved.
(c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
