The Pandas Who Promised
Red panda cubs, Popo and Ketu, live with their mama ‘high on a mountain, where clouds drift in billows’. Very different personalities, the two sisters promise to stay close to their mother and to always look out for each other. However, Ketu’s longing for adventure leads her to set off on an adventure to explore the very places their mama has said they must not go, leaving Popo with a difficult choice…
Coming soon in paperback, ‘The Pandas Who Promised’ is the latest in the highly successful series of books combining the talents of Rachel Bright and Jim Field which started with ‘The Lion Inside’.
It is not hard to see why these books are so popular with children- and with their adults! Rachel’s text is always an absolute joy to read aloud and this book is no exception. There is a comfortable familiarity to the rhythm of the words and a richness to the vocabulary which makes it both lyrical and satisfying. Children quickly find themselves joining in with certain words, anticipating and enjoying the peril the pandas encounter whilst secure in the knowledge that everything will work out fine in the end!
So much more than a cautionary tale, the story allows readers to explore the value of keeping promises, of being able to trust one another and staying safe. Mama’s response to her returning cubs is warm and sound, showing the importance of listening to one another and sharing feelings. The love this little family shares is beautifully captured through both the text and the (gorgeous!) illustrations, with Popo sticking by her sister and not deserting Ketu when she faces great danger.
Jim Field’s illustrations are absolutely wonderful and are sure to trigger great interest in red pandas and their habitat. Some of the landscapes he has created capture the same beauty as pictures painted in the traditional Chinese style which I brought back from my travels there many years ago. Evocative and ethereal, they make the book a thing of beauty!
A gorgeous addition to the series- and perhaps my new favourite!
The Pandas Who Promised
Rachel Bright and Jim Field
Hachette ISBN: 978-1408356104
You can read my review of The Koala Who Could here, The Squirrels Who Squabbled here, The Way Home for Wolf here and The Whale Who Wanted More here.
