The Panda Problem
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- £3.49
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- £3.49
Publisher Description
The critically adored, New York Times bestselling Deborah Underwood delights with a hilariously meta celebration of storytelling out of control.
Every story needs a problem.
But Panda doesn't have a problem.
Unless . . . Panda is the problem.
The New York Times bestselling author of Here Comes the Easter Cat and The Quiet Book loses control of the narrative in the funniest, most exuberant, most kid-delighting way in this adventurous ode to what makes a story--and what makes a story great.
"Highly entertaining and laugh-out-loud funny."--Kirkus
"Supremely silly."--Publishers Weekly
"Excellent...Cute, cute book."--School Library Connection
"Entertaining...humorous." --BCCB
"Kid-friendly...visually appealing...cheeky...adorable."--The Horn Book
"Hilarious, inventive...A joyful read aloud." --SLJ, The Classroom Bookshelf
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Being a narrator should be straightforward: introduce and situate the main character ("Once upon a time there was a panda who lived in a beautiful bamboo grove"), set the dramatic tension in motion ("But the panda had a BIG problem"), and solve the problem end of story. But what happens when the protagonist refuses to play along? "Looks like you're the one with the problem, buddy," says Panda, who won't offer up so much as a sore paw to drive the narrative forward. The bear soon wrests control of the meta-comedy ("Maybe YOU are the main character and I am YOUR problem!") and introduces a jelly bean rain, purple puffball aliens, a second panda, and a trip to Antarctica ("This is fiction. Anything can happen!" a penguin observes). The embattled narrator may start yearning for stories that are about "nice, quiet rocks," but readers will gleefully embrace the anarchy that Underwood's (Interstellar Cinderella) supremely silly repartee has unleashed. Marks, making her U.S. picture book debut, is an able accomplice, offering tightly composed and choreographed cartooning that feels appropriately chaotic. Ages 3 7. Author's)
