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"Tracks of a Panda" by Nick Dowson

Author:

Nick Dowson

Illustrator:

Yu Rong

Publisher:

Candlewick, 2007

Reviewed by:

John Warren Stewig, Carthage College, Kenosha, Wis.

This depicts part of a panda’s life, from the birth of her cub through a problem of lack of food, to the finding of a new territory including ample food. The narrative, which predominates, is accompanied on each opening by a brief sentence or two of information about pandas in general. The watercolor illustrations reflect an Asian sensibility, the right choice since the mother panda lives “high on a mist-wrapped mountain in China.” The artists’ work is impressionistic and understated, making ample use of white space as contrast. An index helps those readers who want to find specific information, rather than reading the narrative through from beginning to end.