Reviewed by Harriet Zaidman (originally posted Aug. 19, 2013)
David Day wrote The Emperor’s Panda to mark the visit of two pandas from China to the Toronto Zoo in 1986. It’s been re-released now in conjunction with the second visit of pandas from China to the zoo. It is as delightful and engaging for a new generation of readers as it was nearly thirty years ago.
Day’s writing career now spans nearly forty years and as many books that cross a variety of genres and topics — poetry, ecology, history, fantasy (including nine books of criticism on J.R. Tolkien), mythology, fiction and ten books for children. He is also a playwright, screenwriter and a newspaper columnist.
The Emperor’s Panda shows Day’s skill at the craft of writing and in moulding his imagination to blend fantasy and fairy tale — China’s mythical past with the structure of a Grimm’s or Hans Christian Anderson fairy tale. The poor, virtuous hero overcomes evil and wins the beautiful princess, with the guidance of the mythical Lord Beishung, the first panda in the world.
Of course, the hero must go on a difficult and dangerous quest to put matters right and win his prize. Kung, a young fluteplayer, changes the destiny of the China as a result of his struggles, supposedly making this a most significant tale in the canon of Chinese mythological literature.
The book is written with a conversational style that young readers, aged 9-12 will enjoy. Day incorporates plenty of humour to balance the suspenseful events that may cause a child to worry about Kung’s or the Panda’s fate.
Lord Beishung, the one and only panda in the world at the time, is a lovable figure that can come up with the solution to any crisis, even as he executes playful somersaults or satisfies his insatiable appetite with meals he conjures through magic. His confidence and charm confuse young Kung, who is a mere shepherd, physically unprepared to do battle with the sorcerers who have sold his uncle into slavery. But Lord Beishung’s cryptic speeches also teach Kung to think laterally, proving that wits are more important than brawn. He makes quick, clever decisions at key moments, decisions that ultimately save the life of the Master Panda himself.
Lord Beishung is a bundle of energy, and anything but modest:
You see, I am the essence of balance!” proclaimed Panda rather grandly while standing upside-down on one forepaw. Then he cart-wheeled right over to the other forepaw, then back again, then forward into a ball, then he emerged again in a sitting position directly in front of Kung!
“In all ways I am balanced, as the colour of my coat must show.” He pointed to various parts of his body and head. “I am equal parts black and white, as you can see.”
It’s his assuredness that puts him off balance, too, proving that even immortal gods can overestimate their talents.
The short three to five page chapters make the book suitable for a pre-adolescent reader. The format is made even more appealing by Eric Beddows’s black and white pencil illustrations. Beddows, (a pseudonym for Stratford, Ontario artist Ken Nutt) is a master at his craft. He won the Amelia Frances Howard-Gibbon Illustrator’s Award twice for his beautiful pencil illustrations of Tim Wynne-Jones’s Zoom series. He has also won the Newbery Award in the U.S.for illustration and many other accolades.
The precise and richly detailed drawings offer the reader an image of the mythical era – ancient China with its intricate carvings, sculptures and art, and fearsome, ugly dragons. The Panda’s throne on the cover is something to study, with dragons and gargoyles to engage the eye, while the panda sits on it contentedly, a smile growing on his face. Small drawings of the panda throughout the pages are fun to find.
This book will please a variety of young readers: those who love fantasy and fairy tales, children who still love to match the illustration with text, and those who want to ‘succeed’ by reading a chapter book. The vocabulary is rich, but accessible for most children in the targeted age range. The length of the book also makes it appealing for most children, but especially for reluctant readers. Parents and teachers, looking for a reasonable-length read-aloud will find this will hold children’s attention. It’s character-driven, well-written and has all the elements of good literature, a positive example for young readers and writers.
When it was first published, The Emperor’s Panda won an award from The International Board on Books for Young People (IBBY). It was shortlisted for a Governor General’s award and a National Library Award. Its re-publication will refresh bookshelves and library collections. In combination with the gorgeous drawings by Eric Beddows it will remain popular with children long after the pandas visiting Canada go back home to China.
Quattro | 110 pages | $18.00 | paper | ISBN #978-1927443514
‘The Emperor’s Panda’ by David Day
Book Reviews
David Day wrote The Emperor’s Panda to mark the visit of two pandas from China to the Toronto Zoo in 1986. It’s been re-released now in conjunction with the second visit of pandas from China to the zoo. It is as delightful and engaging for a new generation of readers as it was nearly thirty years ago.
Day’s writing career now spans nearly forty years and as many books that cross a variety of genres and topics — poetry, ecology, history, fantasy (including nine books of criticism on J.R. Tolkien), mythology, fiction and ten books for children. He is also a playwright, screenwriter and a newspaper columnist.
The Emperor’s Panda shows Day’s skill at the craft of writing and in moulding his imagination to blend fantasy and fairy tale — China’s mythical past with the structure of a Grimm’s or Hans Christian Anderson fairy tale. The poor, virtuous hero overcomes evil and wins the beautiful princess, with the guidance of the mythical Lord Beishung, the first panda in the world.
Of course, the hero must go on a difficult and dangerous quest to put matters right and win his prize. Kung, a young fluteplayer, changes the destiny of the China as a result of his struggles, supposedly making this a most significant tale in the canon of Chinese mythological literature.
The book is written with a conversational style that young readers, aged 9-12 will enjoy. Day incorporates plenty of humour to balance the suspenseful events that may cause a child to worry about Kung’s or the Panda’s fate.
Lord Beishung, the one and only panda in the world at the time, is a lovable figure that can come up with the solution to any crisis, even as he executes playful somersaults or satisfies his insatiable appetite with meals he conjures through magic. His confidence and charm confuse young Kung, who is a mere shepherd, physically unprepared to do battle with the sorcerers who have sold his uncle into slavery. But Lord Beishung’s cryptic speeches also teach Kung to think laterally, proving that wits are more important than brawn. He makes quick, clever decisions at key moments, decisions that ultimately save the life of the Master Panda himself.
Lord Beishung is a bundle of energy, and anything but modest:
You see, I am the essence of balance!” proclaimed Panda rather grandly while standing upside-down on one forepaw. Then he cart-wheeled right over to the other forepaw, then back again, then forward into a ball, then he emerged again in a sitting position directly in front of Kung!
“In all ways I am balanced, as the colour of my coat must show.” He pointed to various parts of his body and head. “I am equal parts black and white, as you can see.”
It’s his assuredness that puts him off balance, too, proving that even immortal gods can overestimate their talents.
The short three to five page chapters make the book suitable for a pre-adolescent reader. The format is made even more appealing by Eric Beddows’s black and white pencil illustrations. Beddows, (a pseudonym for Stratford, Ontario artist Ken Nutt) is a master at his craft. He won the Amelia Frances Howard-Gibbon Illustrator’s Award twice for his beautiful pencil illustrations of Tim Wynne-Jones’s Zoom series. He has also won the Newbery Award in the U.S.for illustration and many other accolades.
The precise and richly detailed drawings offer the reader an image of the mythical era – ancient China with its intricate carvings, sculptures and art, and fearsome, ugly dragons. The Panda’s throne on the cover is something to study, with dragons and gargoyles to engage the eye, while the panda sits on it contentedly, a smile growing on his face. Small drawings of the panda throughout the pages are fun to find.
This book will please a variety of young readers: those who love fantasy and fairy tales, children who still love to match the illustration with text, and those who want to ‘succeed’ by reading a chapter book. The vocabulary is rich, but accessible for most children in the targeted age range. The length of the book also makes it appealing for most children, but especially for reluctant readers. Parents and teachers, looking for a reasonable-length read-aloud will find this will hold children’s attention. It’s character-driven, well-written and has all the elements of good literature, a positive example for young readers and writers.
When it was first published, The Emperor’s Panda won an award from The International Board on Books for Young People (IBBY). It was shortlisted for a Governor General’s award and a National Library Award. Its re-publication will refresh bookshelves and library collections. In combination with the gorgeous drawings by Eric Beddows it will remain popular with children long after the pandas visiting Canada go back home to China.
Quattro | 110 pages | $18.00 | paper | ISBN #978-1927443514