I'll Wait, Mr. Panda

Reviewed by: Melissa Madigan MB - Merrill Memorial Library, Yarmouth, Southern Maine Library District

Review Date: January 19, 2017

Review

I was so thrilled to find that Steve Antony did a sequel to his 2014 book "Please, Mr. Panda," one of my all-time favorites. This cute, quirky story follows a gruff but lovable panda who is in the midst of whipping up some sort of treat (judging by his apron, and perhaps the central theme of his first book, readers may guess donuts). A variety of animals stop by, one by one, to ask Mr. Panda what he is making, to which he always replies, "Wait and see, it's a surprise." All of the animals (except for the perpetually persistent penguin who stands by and repeats that he is waiting, even though he continues to go unnoticed) decide that they are not ready - or willing - to wait. The penguin's patience eventually pays off, though, as he is rewarded at the end of the story with one giant donut all for him! The sparse, simplistic text make it a quick read but an effective message about the values of both patience and perseverance. This makes a great read-aloud story, especially paired with the original Mr. Panda book. I'm crossing my fingers that there will be a third!

Overall Book Score: very good