• Age: 10 to 12
• Grade: 5 to 7
• Reading age: 11 to 13

This original fairy tale is set in the time of China's ancient celestial empire when the world was filled with a multitude of wonderful and mythical creatures. It is the story of the first panda the world has ever seen, Lord Beishung, "the rarest, most magical and wisest of all creatures in creation." He helps a poor young shepherd boy, Kung the fluteplayer, whose life has been changed by the appearance of three strangers. Kung must embark on a great journey, a journey made perilous by evil wizards, phantoms and magical beasts. The Emperor's Panda first appeared in the wake of the very first Panda visitors to Canada. Nearly 30 years ago, Qing Qing and Quan Quan were guests of the Toronto Zoo for three months and were the author's inspiration for this charming story. The release of this new edition is to mark the arrival of Da Mao and Er Shun: Canada's latest Panda visitors. It is also an opportunity for a new generation of children to be enthralled by this magical tale.

David Day was born and raised in Victoria, B.C. He has lived in Britain, Greece, Spain and currently Toronto. He is poet and author of over forty books of poetry, ecology, history, natural history, fantasy, mythology, and fiction. He has also written for theatre, television, ballet, national and international newspapers and magazines. He has written a dozen books of natural history and ecology, including: The Doomsday Book of Animals (named a Time Magazine ‘Book of the Year’), The Whale War, Eco Wars, and most recently NEVERMORE: A Book of Hours. He has also writetn a book of ecology for children, Noah’s Choice: True Stories of Extinction and Survival. Although best known internationally for his best-selling books on fantasy and mythology, such as A Tolkien Bestiary, Castles, Tolkien’s Ring, The Hobbit Companion and Quest for King Arthur; David Day has also written ten children’s picture books, including: The Sleeper, The Swan Children, The Big Lie, Aska’s Animals, Tippu and The King of the Woods. His books – for both adults and children – have been translated into twenty languages. Eric Beddows is an artist and illustrator working in Stratford, Ontario. He has won numerous awards for his illustrations, including the Governor General's Award for The Rooster's Gift, the Amelia Frances Howard-Gibbon Award for the Zoom books, and the International Ezra Jack Keats Award bronze medal. For The Emperor’s Panda, he won the IBBY International Books for Young People Illustrator’s Book of the Year (Canada) Award. Eric is currently writing and illustrating a trilogy of tales of the Northern Gothic to be entitled Thistledown Stories.

David Day's profile page

Eric Beddows is a renowned illustrator who has won many awards, including the Governor General's Award for The Rooster's Gift, the Amelia Frances Howard-Gibbon Award for the Zoom books, and the International Ezra Jack Keats Award bronze medal. He has also had numerous one-man shows of his artwork. He lives in Stratford, Ontario.

Eric Beddows' profile page

"One of the most lyrical enchanting children's books ever produced" Maclean's Magazine
"A charming tale filled with myth and adventure. pure magic" Toronto Star
"This is a story that flows as smoothly as a richly embroidered ribbon of silk" CM Review
"Beautiful conceived" American Library Association Booklist
"Well-told tale of enchantment" Publisher's Weekly