Red Pandas (Nature's Children)

by Josh Gregory

Did you know red pandas have a false thumb? Rare and beautiful, red pandas can usually be seen dashing through the treetops in the forests of the Himalayas. Readers will discover what these furry animals eat, how they spend their days, and what threats they face in the wild. They will also learn how red pandas communicate, find mates, and raise their young, as well as how they are related to the more well-known giant panda.

Genres: Picture Books

48 pages, Hardcover

Published September 1, 2016

Reviews

[Nathan Albright · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is about red pandas. By and large, that should be enough for it to be a good enough book, and it is. As obscure but compelling animals, red pandas are easy animals to support and root for. When one is looking at obscure animals, there are at least a few elements that make a book worthwhile, including showing plenty of pictures and providing plenty of information about the animal as well as where and how it lives. These are certainly elements that this book has. As someone who has read quite a few books that seek to be introductory volumes to animals, this book hits the high points. If you like that sort of book and have a curiosity about red pandas, this book has a lot that such readers would be appreciative about. That said, there are at least some parts of this book that are less enjoyable, and the most obvious of those elements is the way that the book pivots from being about an enjoyable animal which is easy to appreciate to a book that seeks to push people into environmental activism and which delves into hypocrisy by both blaming human beings for being too interested in the red panda for various purposes and disrupting its lives while being a book that would also draw more interest in red pandas in zoos if not in its natural habitat.

This book is a short one at less than 50 pages, as is typical for this sort of work. It begins by introducing the animal and its looks, which are sort of like a ginger raccoon, which is all well and good (1). This is followed by a discussion of how the animal survives in the Himalayas (2) and what animals are a threat to it--both wild dogs as well as leopards. This is followed by how the mostly solitary red pandas deal with each other as rivals, mates, and babies (3), who develop somewhat slowly and are kicked out of the nest in time for their mothers to breed again the next year. After that the book discusses red pandas as a unique animal that is apparently not closely related to any other mammal (4). Finally, the book ends with a discussion of the relationship between pandas and people (5), after which the book ends with a look at vocabulary in the book, a habitat map, resources for further information, an index, and information about the author.

[Dawn Livingston · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you like red pandas then you'll like this book. There are at least four kid's books on red pandas if you're really interested. I got this book for my mom because she thinks they are adorable and I don't know of any adult books on the subject. Besides, lots of adorable pictures work just fine. It's a shame there is no picture of the cover, it's one of the cutest I've seen. An informative book, learn about them, awww at the cute pics. Great for adults or children. If you're an adult this book is good because it gives lots of pictures and gives basic info in simple terms. More info than some other Red Pandas books I've read. Interesting and very cute. If you're interested I recommend Red Pandas by Laura Marsh.

[Queenie Gultia · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great introductory book about Red Pandas. I thought it was quite informational that they are considered one of the endangered species with less than 3,000 of them worldwide. They are endangered due to being hunted for their bright red fur, loss of habitat due to deforestation, and being trapped by human traps that were not specifically meant for them.

I thought it was cute to know that they drink using their paws, interesting that the female gives birth up to four but usually only have one to two at a time, nocturnal creatures, their main source of food are bamboos, and that they live up in trees.

[Katt Hansen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Here's where I admit I don't know the first thing about red pandas, making this book really informative and a lot of pictures just made this a pleasure to read.

I love reading books about things I know nothing at all. They make a nice introduction to a topic I can really dig into later on. I'll hunt down more books from this collection and see what else I can find out. :)

[Jamie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good “beginners” non-fiction/research text.

[Sydney Beth · Rating 3 out of 5]

Evolution taught as fact in this otherwise neat non-fiction picture book.