Whoa Panda!

“Using minimal text and peppy colored pencil and digital art set against colorful, uncluttered backgrounds, Jennings offers an amusing and creative take on bodily autonomy. . . . Compared with similar titles where the protagonist figures everything out by book’s end, this one takes a refreshingly realistic approach. A child-friendly guide to respecting personal space.” —Kirkus Reviews

“When readers first meet round, squat Little Panda, the character all but rushes the book’s fourth wall, getting ‘way too close.’ . . . The narrator’s gentle attempts to curb ‘Whoa Panda!’ moments by setting boundaries at first overwhelm the excitable protagonist. Yet with encouragement and praise, Panda seems to grasp that a smile serves as a mighty fine icebreaker, and that ‘Friends will let you know it’s okay to be touched.’ Through Panda’s highly relatable missteps, this reassuring book offers validation while demonstrating that friendship isn’t about perfection—sometimes it’s just about asking whether someone might prefer a hug or a high five.” —Publishers Weekly