A Panda's World (Board Book)
In a den high in the mountains of China, a baby giant panda is born. Tiny at first, the black and white mammal quickly grows. Soon it will join its mother as she searches for bamboo in the forest. Follow this plant eater through his second winter as he learns to live on his own.
This book, based on the 2006 book with the same title but with a shorter text, brings the story of a panda's first year of life to younger readers. It follows a baby panda from birth to life on its own in its natural habitat in the mountains of China. It can be read aloud to younger children or an older child can read it alone.
A readable and lively text provides a close-up look at these rare black and white mammals in this "anything but black and white" book. Cut paper illustrations help tell the tales of these amazing animals and the world in which they live.
Why are pandas endangered? Every year the number of pandas grows smaller due to destruction of their habitat, accidental deaths in traps set for other animals, and illegal hunting. Because of their size, pandas have few natural enemies except for humans. Despite laws to protect pandas and efforts to preserve their habitat, their plight continues to worsen.
How are people helping pandas? Scientists are studying pandas both in zoos and in the wild so they can learn more about what pandas need to live. In the past century, as the Chinese population has grown, people have cut down many of the forests where pandas live to build farms and villages. The mountain tops where pandas live are now like bamboo islands in a sea of developed land. By planting bands of bamboo to connect these isolated forests, scientists are trying to make it easier for the pandas to move between them and find enough food.
Zoos where you can see giant pandas are in Washington, D.C.; Atlanta, Georgia; Memphis, Tennessee; San Diego, California; Paris, France; Berlin, Germany; Tokyo, Japan; Mexico City, Mexico; Beijing, Chengdu, Ninjing, Shanghai, Hong Kong, and Woolong, China.
To purchase a fine art print or card of one of the illustrations from A Panda's World, go to www.etsy.com/shop/CarolineArnoldArt.
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Make a Paper Plate Panda.
Read A Panda's World. For this project you will need a white paper plate, cotton balls, black and white tissue paper. Glue cotton balls to the paper plate for the panda's furry face. Crumple white tissue paper for the panda's snout and glue on. Crumple black paper for the ears and eye rings and mouth and glue on. Use small cotton balls for the center of the eyes.
What would it be like to live in a bamboo forest? Click here for a printable picture of a panda.