Little Panda: The World Welcomes Hua Mei at the San Diego Zoo [Hardcover]

Joanne Ryder (Author), World-Famous San Diego Zoo (Photographer)

Book Description

She's the first giant panda cub ever to survive in captivity in the Western Hemisphere. There are fewer than one thousand giant pandas left in the world, making Hua Mei's birth at the World-Famous San Diego Zoo in August 1999 a cause for celebration.

In Little Panda, filled with exclusive photographs from the zoo, Hua Mei's first year is chronicled as she grows quickly from a tiny infant into a curious cub. Ever ready to play a game of tag with Mama or bravely explore new territory, Hua Mei will charm readers of all ages.

Acclaimed author Joanne Ryder perfectly captures the spirit and playfulness of this endangered animal while teaching readers about the life and plight of the giant panda.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

The world rejoices each time a rare giant panda is born. When tiny Hua Mei was born on August 21, 1999, her caregivers gave her extra protection from any potential dangers. For the first weeks of her life, this baby could be viewed only with a camera in her den at the San Diego Zoo. She and her mother, Bai Yun, spent the time bonding--panda papas have nothing to do with the raising of their cubs. Gradually, as Hua Mei grew bigger and stronger, she began to play and eat on her own, and the world was finally allowed to see her when she was about five months old.

Who can resist the allure of a cuddly baby panda? Joanne Ryder, author of many popular books about creatures great and small, including Earthdance, traces the young life of a panda with minimal text and many remarkable photos from the Zoological Society of San Diego. Curious readers will learn that, at birth, panda cubs are more than 800 times smaller than their mothers and that they are blind for the first few months of life. Parents and kids will love reading this book together and contemplating the parallels between fragile panda cubs and human babies. (Ages 3 to 7) --Emilie Coulter

From Publishers Weekly

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.)
Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 32 pages
• Publisher: Simon & Schuster Books For Young Readers (March 1, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0689843100
• ISBN-13: 978-0689843105
• Product Dimensions: 11.3 x 8.7 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.1 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,589,615 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Beautiful and educational, March 21, 2001

By 

A. KAPLAN "Penelopecat" (Las Vegas, NV United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Little Panda: The World Welcomes Hua Mei at the San Diego Zoo (Hardcover)

I'll be perfectly honest: I love following Hua Mei's story at the San Diego Zoo web site. I'm a complete sucker for panda stories. So I was pleased to finally see a more permanent record of Hua Mei's first year.

While I bought this book for the photographs (which are plentiful, large, and beautiful), this book should also appeal to children and parents because of its text (or perhaps I should say "texts"). The author has written two parallel texts: one fairly simple and straightforward for younger readers, printed in large type, and a slightly more complex one in smaller type, giving more detailed information about pandas. By creating a book that appeals to more than one reading level, Ms. Ryder has given us a book that parents will be able to share with their young children as they grow older and learn to read.

Make no mistake; this is not a detailed textbook about pandas. If that's what you're looking for, I recommend George Schaller's LAST PANDA (also available from Amazon.com, coincidentally enough). But this is a good introduction for young children, who may be able to indentify with the young Hua Mei. For older panda lovers, this is an excellent collection of photographs. The only thing that keeps me from giving this book five stars (besides the fact that I never give anything five stars) is that I can never get enough information about Hua Mei.

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars If you didn't love Pandas before this book, you will now!, July 14, 2005

By 

KSL "emma-and-me" (Florida, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Little Panda: The World Welcomes Hua Mei at the San Diego Zoo (Paperback)

The photos in this book are absolutely amazing! Starting with Hua Mei's 1st teeny tiny black & white photo camera that had been installed inside the panda den, and the book ending 1 year later. I can't say enough about the photos!

This is the 1st year in the life of Hua Mei and is pronounced Hwa May. In China, one name can mean different thing and Hua Mei's means Splended Beauty AND China-USA. The birth of Hua Mei in 1999 in the San Diego Zoo connects both China, the country where pandas roam and here in the Us where she lives.

This is one of those books that grows with it's young reader! The author Joanne Ryder lots of information on each page. There is a big bold font that tells the story and then a smaller not so small font that gives additional information! I just can not say enought wonderful words about this book! A definate book to have in your home library!

5.0 out of 5 stars Panda baby, July 8, 2007

By 

Isobel E. Houpt (midwest usa) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Little Panda: The World Welcomes Hua Mei at the San Diego Zoo (Paperback)

This book with its beautiful real-life illustrations would be a great one to give a child as a gift. It would acquaint him or her with the life process of a baby panda's first year. The words and sentences are short and readable for a child in the early grades. It would also be a good read-aloud book for someone with a small child who loves to be read to. I highly recommend it.