Steve Antony

The irascible Mr. Panda returns in this second picture-book devoted to his doings, following upon the popular Please, Mr. Panda. Engaged in baking a special treat, our ailuropodine hero must contend with a variety of animals asking him just what it is he is preparing and when it will be ready. His response to each - "Wait and see. It is a surprise" - is greeted with impatience by all but a little penguin, who continually assures Mr. Panda that he will wait...

Like its predecessor, I'll Wait, show more Mr. Panda is a beautifully-illustrated picture-book that examines an aspect of good manners - in the previous book it was saying please, here it is having patience - in a humorous way. Unlike its predecessor, which I found somewhat muddled in its moral clarity - I felt that it endorsed behaving in a rude manner when confronted with rudeness, which is the wrong message to send - this story rewards good behavior without any sort of retributive action on the part of Mr. Panda for bad behavior. While it is true that the impatient animals don't get the delicious treat at the end, they have been deprived of that pleasure by their own behavior, rather than by a rescinding of an existing offer, as was the case in the first book. In short: I enjoyed this one just as much as the first, aesthetically speaking, while also endorsing the lesson it teaches. Recommended to anyone looking for stories that seek to inculcate good manners in children, as well as to anyone who enjoys Steve Antony's colorful artwork, or just enjoys tales about pandas. show less

That grouchy ailuropodine hero returns in this third picture-book devoted to his adventures, following upon Please, Mr. Panda and I'll Wait, Mr. Panda. Having made his friends gifts, Mr. Panda sets out to distribute them, the helpful Lemur in tow. As each present is unwrapped, and turns out to be not quite the right size, Lemur reminds each recipient that with gifts it is the thought that counts. But will he remember this key fact when he himself is the recipient...?

Like its predecessors, show more Thank You, Mr. Panda pairs an entertaining tale featuring an important concept about good manners with colorful, engaging artwork. British author/artist Steve Antony's sense of humor comes through here, especially at the end, in which Mr. Panda turns Lemur's well-meaning admonition - that it's the thought that counts - back on him. I don't know if I thought the artwork here was quite as strong as in the previous books, but the combination of bright presents and more muted animals was appealing, and the message about being thankful for the gifts given us was on point. I had qualms about the presentation of Antony's message in Please, Mr. Panda, but had no similar problems here. Recommended to fans of the Mr. Panda books, and to anyone looking for children's stories about gift-giving and receiving, and good manners. show less

A grumpy Mr. Panda offers a series of animals his delicious-looking doughnuts in this picture-book from British author/artist Steve Antony, only to change his mind, when creature after creature doesn't respond as politely as he would like. Finally, an enthusiastic lemur says the magic word, and our ursine hero rewards him with the entire box. Apparently Mr. Panda doesn't like doughnuts...

I have rather mixed feelings about Please, Mr. Panda, which I found visually charming, but rather show more unsatisfactory in other ways. The artwork, featuring black and white creatures and vividly colorful doughnuts, is immensely engaging. Antony captures Mr. Panda's grumpiness perfectly, and his depictions of the various animals' expressions, before and after they are offered and then denied the treat, are skillful. The decorative endpapers, featuring those colorful doughnuts, are mouth-watering! That said, I was troubled by the implication that when people fail to live up to our expectations with regard to courtesy, that the appropriate response is to be discourteous in return. Of the two things - failing to say please when offered something, and offering something, only to retract it - it seems to me that the latter is the worse infraction, as it is done deliberately. I have seen this book praised for teaching manners, but it seems to me that the lesson is a flawed one. Still, the artwork is adorable, and is for that that I would recommend it. show less

The irascible Mr. Panda returns in this fourth picture-book devoted to his adventures from British author/illustrator Steve Antony. In this latest installment of the series, our ailuropodine hero's friends each bid him good night, only to be reminded of some bedtime task they've forgotten. In each case, the animal(s) in question clarify why that task isn't for them. Eager Lemur, in the meantime, keeps insisting that he HAS done each task, eventually reminding Mr. Panda himself of something show more he has forgotten...

Like its predecessors, Good Night, Mr. Panda pairs an engaging, humorous story with bright, appealing artwork. Here the emphasis is less on good manners, which is the overriding theme of the first three titles - Please, Mr. Panda, I'll Wait, Mr. Panda, and Thank You, Mr. Panda - and more on the activities of bedtime. The humorous responses of the various animals - skunk only bathes once a month, sloth is too tired to go to bed - will keep young reader/listeners entertained, while the conclusion, in which it is Mr. Panda who forgets something, and then makes a mistake, will end the tale on an amusing note. Recommended to fans of Mr. Panda, and to anyone looking for engaging bedtime books for the picture-book set. show less