When I Draw a Panda by Amy June Bates
Published by Simon Schuster/Paula Wiseman Books on September 22, 2020
ISBN: 1481451480
Pages: 40
Genres: Animals, Realistic Fiction
Format: Picture Book Fiction
Goodreads

Is less-than perfect art OK? Is it the effort that matters? What if I “run out of space” or my “lines come out of our pencils and they are not going anywhere in particular”? This young girl loves to draw. Her not-perfect circles end up creating a panda, who then also draws his own way, and they end up with lines that “…are just going somewhere that makes up happy.”

Sparse text with illustrations combine for a full message of self-acceptance. 

Not to be missed – especially the cover under the dust jacket! Pair with “Ish” by Peter Reynolds.

Reviewed by Lynn Mayer, Retired Librarian, Old Town Elementary School, Old Town