Bad Panda : The cake escape
By Swapna Haddow
Illustrated by Sheena Dempsey
ISBN 9780571352456
Faber
We first met these cute pandas, Lin and her best friend, Fu, in Bad Panda. Well, they are back and just as funny, if not funnier. Humour seems to be author Swapna Haddow’s forte, for I found myself smiling or giggling to myself, many times. I think the humour lends itself to being read aloud for the best effect.
Fu goes missing. At first Lin thinks he’s off somewhere doing his own thing but she begins to worry when she can’t find him. As she searches, asking all the other animals in the zoo if they’ve seen him, she comes to realise that a horrid, little human child may have stolen Fu to add to his collection. With the help from Small Racoon, Lin follows the clues in this humorous, mystery-adventure novel for early chapter book readers. I love the in-jokes from the narrator directing their opinions directly to the reader.
The characters are quirky, with delightful, likeable personalities. There is a sort of innocence about them as well as determination and quiet bravery. Best of all, is their loyalty and friendship to each other. Teamwork, really makes a difference.
Sheena Dempsey brings Swapna’s characters to life, with her gorgeously cute illustrations and there are lots of them. Some sections are part graphic novel which adds to the humour, but also breaks up the text a little for newly independent readers who might otherwise find a full text chapter book a bit daunting.
Swapna and Sheena are the perfect combination of author and illustrator who totally understand each other. This combination, along with their publishers, has created another jolly good read. I look forward to (hopefully) a third book in this delightful series about Lin and Fu and all their friends.
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