The Panda's Child

by Jackie Morris, Cathy Fisher (Illustrator)

Overview

A magical, powerful new story by Jackie Morris, co-creator of The Lost Words, and award-winning illustrator Cathy Fisher

In a faraway forest a baby is lost and found, protected by a she-panda. Nine years later another baby, the panda's child, is in great danger, and only a boy and the spirit of the forest can save him. This magical, powerful story is a book for all ages to treasure, exploring our most vital connection with wild nature.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781915659057
Publisher:	Otter-Barry Books
Publication date:	09/03/2024
Pages:	96
Product dimensions:	9.00(w) x 11.50(h) x 0.60(d)
Age Range:	5 - 7 Years

About the Author

Jackie Morris is a bestselling writer and artist. She lives in Wales, in “a small cottage held together by spiders’ webs." As a writer and illustrator she has many books to her name; of which The Lost Words, in collaboration with Robert Macfarlane, is the best known. For Otter-Barry Books she has written, among others, the three much-loved Mrs Noah books, The Jackie Morris Book of Classic Nursery Rhymes and Something about a Bear.

Cathy Fisher was born in Australia and grew up in Bath, England. Her art combines a deep connection with the natural world with a tender, insightful rendering of human emotion and behavior. She has collaborated with Nicola Davies on eight books, including Perfect and The Pond, both longlisted for the Kate Greenaway Medal. Cathy has lived and worked in the UK, the Seychelles and Australia, and now lives in Pembrokeshire, Wales.

Editorial Reviews

06/24/2024

In the first chapter of this cross-species narrative told in three sections, an infant who goes missing for a full week is found, alive, in the care of a panda. The bear walks peacefully past the human mother as she nurses the infant, and the villagers revere the bear: “They left her offerings and watched over her. She was one of them now.” In the second chapter, a procession gathering gifts for “the great ruler Alexander” capture the panda’s child, and the human boy, now nine, leaps to travel with the cub. “I can keep him alive for you,” the boy promises. Tense lines by Morris (The Lost Spells) have a folktale feel: “Peasant boy, what use are you to us but one more mouth to feed?” Focused on Asian-cued human characters, wild mammals, and jungle landscapes, naturalistic watercolor portraits by Fisher (The Pond) often have indistinct borders, like images from dreams. In the final chapter, the story turns again as resourcefulness and quick thinking deliver a rousing finale, with the added allure of alliances between the boy and beings whose lives he touches. Ages 4–up. (Sept.)

Publishers Weekly

"Deliver(s) a rousing finale, with the added allure of alliances between the boy and beings whose lives he touches." Publishers Weekly

“A weighty parable honoring the natural world, visually stunning.” Kirkus Reviews

"A panda protects a baby who has been separated from his mother, and several years later that same child rescues the panda’s baby, who has been stolen by a band of men who want to present it to Emperor Alexander. Morris’ powerful reminder to respect the wild is brought to life by Fisher’s gorgeous artwork, which makes the beauty of the natural world leap off the page. Simply stunning." The Bookseller

"A beautifully produced, illustrated short story, with space given to the words as well as the art... A magical, powerful story that explores our most vital connection with wild nature." Achuka - Book of the Day

"This is a book to be read and relished slowly.. The shape of the story intersperses gorgeous illustrations with minimal text with two pages of poetic prose. I like this rhythm which I noticed because I read it aloud to my eight-year-old granddaughter and we agreed that it contributes to the restful atmosphere and builds slow suspense. Every illustrated page then allows the artist space for big emotions and natural features... I strongly recommend this outstanding book by Otter Barry." The Letterpress Project

"This large-format hardback would make the ideal gift book for Christmas or a glittering gem to read to groups of children at the end of a long day at school. Inside the gold foil-adorned cover there’s sumptuous artwork with full-colour double-page spreads. With a lyrical verse story, The Panda’s Child is a joy to read to younger children and one that will inspire children to consider and discuss how people and animals can live together." School Reading List

From the Publisher

2024-07-04
A boy, saved by a panda mother and blessed by the forest, outwits a group of trappers who have captured the panda’s child.

Dreamy watercolors and narrative in verse tell the story of a baby boy who goes missing in a forest in what appears to be China. When he is found seven days later in a panda’s cave, villagers regard both panda and boy with great reverence, as the panda clearly kept him alive. Nine years later, a group of strangers arrives with horses, elephants, brocade and furs, and animals, including a baby panda in a bamboo cage—all gifts for “the great ruler Alexander.” As the horrified villagers look on, the boy begs to accompany the travelers, telling them that he knows how to keep the panda alive for their journey. Assuming the boy has betrayed the pandas to whom he owes everything, the villagers turn away, but the clever boy has a plan. This large-format, fully illustrated book has the trim size of a picture book, but its three chapters of verse, sophisticated vocabulary, and extensive symbolism suggest an audience of older children or even adults; it may struggle to find an audience. Illustrations vacillate between dreamscapes and hyper-realistic human and animal figures, while tiger imagery included early on foreshadows later events. The work is imbued with respect for the natural world, along with a certain unease in the telling and the violence of the outcome.

A weighty parable honoring the natural world, visually stunning but likely to leave youngsters cold.(Picture book. 8-adult)

Kirkus Reviews