What do you think?
Rate this book
Serendipity
Ming Ling
A selfish panda tries to keep all the food in the forest for herself and not share with the other animals
32 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1978
135 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
July 3, 2017
The children will fall in love with this adorable yet grumpy panda and her equally noisy bird neighbors. It is a story that we hear all the time where one person wants things their way to the exclusion of others and what compromise can do to fix the situation. Short, simple and easy to understand this is a good book for younger audiences.
April 8, 2019
SHARE SHARE SHARE :3
I liked this book because it’s about sharing with others and it’s about ways to solve problems and make Solutions so that’s why I like the book
I liked this book because it’s about sharing with others and it’s about ways to solve problems and make Solutions so that’s why I like the book
November 27, 2024
A lot of Serendipity books are too damn cute for me to tolerate, but this one isn't so cute. Ming Ling is a grouchy panda kept from getting enough to eat or sleep by the local bird life. Not getting enough to eat or sleep would make anyone grouchy.
Ming Ling finally sticks up for herself and makes life hell for the birds, so they split. This is really where I was hoping the book would end, but this is a Serendipity book. And there has to be an uplifting moral. You know, for the kids.
And I can see that no kid is ever going to live completely isolated from others, so compromise is needed. Ming Ling learns this through one fat scarlet macaw, who decides to risk coming back into Ming Ling's territory.
It's good for a laugh.
If you're looking for panda facts, don't look here. Ming Ling's favorite food is pine nuts, but pandas usually do not eat pine nuts ... or any kind of nuts, for that matter. It says that Ming Ling roars. Pandas do roar, but it's not very scary. Not sure why the birds were scared.
Robin James tends to make most of her characters have huge eyes, but sometimes she gets more realistic. This is one of those times.
Overall, a quirky but enjoyable, if not particularly memorable, book in the series.
Ming Ling finally sticks up for herself and makes life hell for the birds, so they split. This is really where I was hoping the book would end, but this is a Serendipity book. And there has to be an uplifting moral. You know, for the kids.
And I can see that no kid is ever going to live completely isolated from others, so compromise is needed. Ming Ling learns this through one fat scarlet macaw, who decides to risk coming back into Ming Ling's territory.
It's good for a laugh.
If you're looking for panda facts, don't look here. Ming Ling's favorite food is pine nuts, but pandas usually do not eat pine nuts ... or any kind of nuts, for that matter. It says that Ming Ling roars. Pandas do roar, but it's not very scary. Not sure why the birds were scared.
Robin James tends to make most of her characters have huge eyes, but sometimes she gets more realistic. This is one of those times.
Overall, a quirky but enjoyable, if not particularly memorable, book in the series.
July 3, 2023
I actually have a second printing (August 1983) that is identical to the image but doesn't have the moral on the front.
I still don't like this binding, because this and the others of this book with the same binding all have at least one page where the printing is offset, leaving a double-image effect. It ruins the beauty of the artwork!
The story is decent. I have doubts about a panda liking pine nuts the best, because the reason pandas eat so much bamboo (despite having digestive systems that would be better suited to meat) is they clearly must love bamboo the best. A panda liking pine nuts seems like she would just eat the pine nuts only (even though that's the issue in this book, that birds are eating them instead).
Recommended if you can find a copy that's printed better, though that's going to be harder to come by these days.
I still don't like this binding, because this and the others of this book with the same binding all have at least one page where the printing is offset, leaving a double-image effect. It ruins the beauty of the artwork!
The story is decent. I have doubts about a panda liking pine nuts the best, because the reason pandas eat so much bamboo (despite having digestive systems that would be better suited to meat) is they clearly must love bamboo the best. A panda liking pine nuts seems like she would just eat the pine nuts only (even though that's the issue in this book, that birds are eating them instead).
Recommended if you can find a copy that's printed better, though that's going to be harder to come by these days.
October 17, 2016
In this one Ming Ling is a panda that only likes to eat and sleep. But where she lives there are birds that like to eat her favorite things and love to sing the most beautiful songs when she likes to sleep! So instead of being friends they are a nusience to her. so she's mean to them and wishes they were gone. One day they are all gone and every thing is quiet. Just her and her thoughts. That was fine for a few days but then it started getting lonely. Then a parrot arrived and started repeating what Ming LIng said. So it thought and spoke like her like she had wished but that still wasn't what sh had wanted. It wasn't until she learned Mr Cosgrove's moral to this story then she found happiness once and for all... and this one's moral was " Sharing your environment with others is rewarding."
I was so surprised and happy to find Mr Cosgrove's books again! I loved these as a little girl. I would always seek them out from our school library (and matter of fact our librarian had to replace a few of the books because they had gotten so worn out after the seven years of elementary (Kg through 6th grade I would check them out) Now I'm finding them for my adult special needs son and my granddaughter and falling in love with them all over again!
I was so surprised and happy to find Mr Cosgrove's books again! I loved these as a little girl. I would always seek them out from our school library (and matter of fact our librarian had to replace a few of the books because they had gotten so worn out after the seven years of elementary (Kg through 6th grade I would check them out) Now I'm finding them for my adult special needs son and my granddaughter and falling in love with them all over again!
July 27, 2017
A Serendipity book featuring a Panda! I was so excited when we found this one. However the story isn't great. Ming Ling is a pretty wishy-washy panda, and that's the point of the book, to learn that switching back and forth between extremes is not good for you. The story is not a winner, but the illustrations! I just want to rip out some of the pages (not really) and put them up on my wall. They are beautiful works of art.
June 26, 2011
Serendipity books were introduced to me by my favorite teacher, my first grade teacher in 1985! The creativity and wonderful illustrations are amazing. I loved these books so much as a kid and these books really sparked my love of reading that has stayed with me throughout my life.
March 6, 2010
getting along with those we live with, interdependent society
March 16, 2013
Love this whole series.
February 6, 2014
I love pandas! I buy just about anything panda. These books (Serendipity Books) are very sweet and fun books.
September 9, 2014
A nice story about appreciation and gratitude, suited for young children.
August 9, 2011
Good lesson the parrots taught here.
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews