With laconic wit and appealing characters, Wahl tells the story of how three pandas set out to explore the world beyond their bamboo forest. They earn money to take the train to the city by playing bamboo flutes on the platform. Once in the city, one takes a job with the telephone company--pandas are good at climbing poles--but soon gets sacked for listening in on conversations while trying to learn Chinese. The others get circus jobs. The pandas run into more trouble when they are separated during a snowstorm. Once reunited, they hide in a truck and head back to the bamboo forest. The paintings have a fresh quality, and Naava manages to achieve a range of emotions in portraying the three innocent pandas. The economy of the text, the humorous episodes, and the art all work together to capture a universal facet of childhood--the longing to see the world.
By Jan Wahl, Hardcover, 32 Pages, 8.76 x 11.34
