The Year of the Panda

From Publishers Weekly Lu Yi and his father are collecting firewood on the mountainside when they discover a baby daxiong mao (giant panda) whose mother has been killed. Lu Yi plans to raise the panda, Su Lin, until it can protect itself. While he is caring for the animal, a messenger from the Chinese government visits Lu Yi's town. He explains that the giant panda is an endangered species, and that the townspeople and the government must work together to help it survive. When Lu Yi learns that the panda will starve if set free because the bamboo on the mountainside is dying off, he reluctantly tells the man about Su Lin. Together they bring the panda to a rescue center where Lu Yi learns how the species is being protected. The clear, concise narrative makes it clear that decisions about how to save the panda are not always straightforward. Brief yet thought-provoking, this sensitively written novel is enhanced by Mak's stirring pencil drawings. Ages 8-12. Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc. From School Library Journal Lu Yi wonders why a daxiong mao (giant panda) has come down from the mist-shrouded mountains. Then he and his father discover a dead panda who has left behind a baby. Lu Yi rescues the orphan, and with the help of his family, cares for it. One day, a messenger arrives in their remote village in China with the story of the pandas' plight. The bamboo that the pandas feed on has died, as it does every 60 years, and, as it takes two to three years for the new shoots to grow sufficiently, there is a famine. The pandas have journeyed to the farms seeking food. When the messenger hears of the orphaned panda, he makes arrangments for Lu Yi and his charge to go to the Panda Rescue Center. There Lu Yi comes to understand the extent of the effort required to preserve the endangered daxiong mao and their habitat. This is a well-crafted, absorbing story. That it will also inform readers of the plight of the giant panda and of the efforts to insure its survival is an added bonus. The full-page black-and-white drawings add to the appeal. --Susan Middleton, LaJolla Country Day School, CACopyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc.