Smaller Than Most

Trouble-free and irresistibly engaging, Rigby's first book contains three little stories about an anthropomorphic panda family. Fans of Carter's Clipper will recognize her admired touch in the colorful illustrations, showing toddler Won-Ton, Mama, Papa and Grampa in their smart outfits as well as the appointments of their home and the bamboo forest nearby. The first episode occurs when Won-Ton's mother tells him there will be a new Panda soon. In the second, the boy helps Grampa make a crib for the baby, a girl named Su-Lin. Not a bit jealous, Won-Ton likes playing with and caring for Su-Lin. In the last adventure, though, he does cry over his smallness. He has to stand on a stool to reach a lollipop for Su-Lin and he envies his tall friends. Mama knows how to chase her son's blues, however, and he agrees it's okay to be smaller than most. (48)