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Children's Fiction Friendship

Dear Panda

by (author) Miriam Latimer

Publisher
Owlkids Books Inc.
Initial publish date
Aug 2014
Category
Friendship, Humorous Stories, Imagination & Play
  • eBook

    ISBN
    9781771471190
    Publish Date
    Aug 2014
    List Price
    $9.99
  • Hardback

    ISBN
    9781771470780
    Publish Date
    Aug 2014
    List Price
    $18.95

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Where to buy it

Out of print

This edition is not currently available in bookstores. Check your local library or search for used copies at Abebooks.

Recommended Age, Grade, and Reading Levels

  • Age: 3 to 7
  • Grade: p to 3

Description

Living in a new house and about to start at a new school, Florence feels sad that she had to leave all her friends behind. So she decides to write a letter to the panda who lives in the zoo next door, asking him to be her friend. Happily, he obliges. Soon, when Flo is asked to stand up in front of her whole class and talk about herself, it only seems right to tell everyone about Panda, and then to invite him to come for a visit.
Thanks to Panda, Flo meets Bea, a little girl who shares her love of pandas – and swimming, and hula-hooping, and all kinds of other things. A quiet, introspective story about finding the confidence to make new friends, Dear Panda plays with the boundaries of what's real and what's imagined, and will give readers a new way to think about finding kindred spirits.

About the author

MIRIAM LATIMER has been a freelance illustrator since graduating in 2003 from UWE Bristol. She has written and illustrated several children’s books.

Miriam Latimer's profile page

Excerpt: Dear Panda (by (author) Miriam Latimer)

Florence had just moved.
She liked her new room, and her new garden, and most of all, Florence liked that her new house was right next to a zoo.
Florence loved seeing all the animals, but the one she liked best was the panda.
But even pandas couldn't make Florence feel better when she got a letter from her new school.

Editorial Reviews

"Anxious readers should finish the book reassured that making friends can sometimes be surprisingly simple."

Publishers Weekly

"Can be used for encouraging young children to make new friends in new environments, and to accept other new kids."

Resource Links

"A really cute story that highlights friendship and the worries children can face when they have to start a new school. The illustrations in this picture book are bright, colourful, and fun!"

Canadian Review of Materials

"Latimer's reassuring tale handles real-world issues with a charming touch of fantasy."

School Library Journal