Amazon.com Review
Fans of Bill Martin Jr. and Eric Carle's
Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? and
Polar Bear, Polar Bear, What Do You Hear? will be delighted to see another title in this lilting call and response series. Much like their earlier picture books,
Panda Bear features a string of fine feathered (and furry and scaly) friends watching over each other. In this book, however, all the animals are endangered, from a swinging spider monkey to a strutting macaroni penguin (kids will get a kick out of that name!) to a splashing sea lion. Carle’s trademark tissue paper collages will be as familiar--and welcome--as the text ("Whooping Crane, Whooping Crane, what do you see?" "I see a black panther strolling by me."); young readers will quickly get the hang of the rhythm and join right in. The book concludes on a hopeful note, with a dreaming child seeing the ten f! eatured animals "all wild and free--/ that’s what I see!" Martin includes a note on endangered species that may spark concern and interest in older readers--our hope for these disappearing creatures. (Ages 3 to 8)
--Emilie Coulter
--This text refers to the
Hardcover
edition.
From School Library Journal
PreSchool-Grade 1-While some adults may sigh at the similarity of this title to Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? (1983) and Polar Bear, Polar Bear, What Do You Hear? (1995, both Holt), children will be thrilled. A water buffalo, a green sea turtle, a black panther, and other animals answer that familiar call, "What do you see?" Readers view all these creatures and more, a treat considering that the 10 animals featured are all endangered species and therefore rare sights. The book closes wistfully with a dreaming child who sees the animals all "wild and free." Names like "macaroni penguin" contribute to some awkwardness in the text's rhythm, but the bright collage images and lilting language bring the animals to life on the page-soaring, swinging, or even strutting. Opening with a helpful note on the importance of animal protection, this title will make a perfect segue into conversations about endangered species.
Julie Roach, Malden Public Library, MACopyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.
--This text refers to the
Hardcover
edition.
