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
--This text refers to the
Hardcover
edition.
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.
--This text refers to the
Hardcover
edition.
