Panda's Earthquake Escape

Two giant pandas, Liling and Tengfei, fall from a tree when an earthquake strikes their home on a reserve in Northern China, in this fictionalized story based on an actual incident. Although Detwiler (One Wolf Howls) depicts the bears naturalistically, their faces convey their fear as mother and cub run through the rainforest, which is rendered in muted greens and violets. Perry (The Field Guide to Ocean Animals) vividly describes Tengfei's emotions: "Tengfei was frantic as he looked around. He stared deep into the woods. Suddenly he spotted the familiar black and white markings of his mother's fur." When men, whose kind faces suggest they aren't a threat, spot the pair, they capture them and carry them back to their reserve: "The hungry pandas were really happy to be home." Appended educational materials include activities, giant panda facts, and information about earthquakes and the Richter Scale, which could be developed into a broader lesson. Readers, though, may be left wanting more substance from Liling and Tengfei's story, which, despite its initial momentum, ends with a wispy resolution. Ages 4–8. (Mar.)