105 Ways to Give a Book

Nonfiction Monday: Round-Up & Pandas

How Many Baby Pandas?Pandas must be the only animal whose adult evolutionary strategy is cuteness. (Well, other than Ashton Kutcher.) They live on bamboo — and only bamboo — which apparently has all the nutritional value of pork rinds. They also weigh two hundred pounds, need a decent-sized range, and sport highly visible markings. No doubt this species would have died out long, long ago if people didn’t protect them because they were just so darn adorable.

How Many Baby Pandas? by Sandra Markle, is a young readers’ introduction to pandas and how people are helping them at Wolong Giant Panda Breeding Center in China. We start with one panda at birth — about six inches long, weighing four ounces, and looking like a pink rat. We follow pandas’ growth in the center and learn facts about the animals along the way. The photographs of pandas wrestling with each other and holding their own baby bottles are as sweet as they sound. Regardless of the title, the counting aspect of the book is certainly secondary. At the end, there are extra facts, glossary, bibliography, websites, and donation information. Good for early elementary school readers or preschoolers who want to learn about animals. Especially cute animals.

Nonfiction Monday Round-up is here today, so leave links in the comments and I’ll update throughout the day.

Edited to Add: Funny story — I told my teen the Ashton Kutcher line yesterday, and she didn’t think it was that funny. I explained it, telling her that it’s only because he’s cute that he has a career, because he hasn’t really done anything. So, today I see an article in The Washington Post about celebrities who are famous for being famous. At the end of the article the primo example is named: Ashton Kutcher.

9:00 a.m. Round-Up
Noon Round-Up

4:00 p.m. Round-Up
  • Life in the Boreal Forest at Bookends. (Doesn’t that sound pleasantly cool during an August heat wave?)

  • A round-up within a round-up with Finding Truth, Then and Now, 14 Cows for America, Truth You Can Trust, and Save This Superstar! all at I.N.K. — Interesting Nonfiction for Kids. (Sorry I missed you earlier.)

7:00 p.m. Round-Up
  • The Frog Scientist at Biblio File, who adds, “MR! You live in DC! Baby pandas don’t look like a pink rat, they’re THE SIZE OF A STICK OF BUTTER!”
HA! (I respond.) I actually had that phrase instead of the pink rat, but I didn’t think anyone would get it! Of course, four years ago everyone in the DC area heard that the new baby panda was the size of a stick of butter so many times that “ButterStick” was one of the suggested names. (They went with Tai Shan.)

23 comments:

Sarah N. said...

Thanks for doing the Round Up. How Many Baby Pandas is right up my daughters' alley so I'll have to see if our library has it. I posted about The Tiger Has a Toothache. http://inneedofchocolate.wordpress.com/2009/08/10/non-fiction-monday-the-tiger-has-a-toothache/

Anonymous said...

Today SimplyScience has The Day Glo Brothers by Chris Barton.

www.simplyscience.wordpress.com

Thank you for hosting.
Shirley

Andrea -- Just One More Book!! Podcast said...

Hi Pam,

We've had an all non-fiction week this week at Just One More Book! with fabulous fun and informative books:

"Non-fiction rhyming book Faces of the Moon": http://www.justonemorebook.com/2009/08/05/lunar-learning-faces-of-the-moon/

and

"Neo Leo: The Ageless Ideas of Leonardo da Vinci": http://www.justonemorebook.com/2009/08/07/back-to-the-future-neo-leo-the-ageless-ideas-of-leonardo-da-vinci/

Plus today we discuss "Dieppe: Canada’s Darkest Day of World War II" with author and historian Hugh Brewster:
http://www.justonemorebook.com/2009/08/10/interview-with-hugh-brewster/

Thanks for rounding us up!

Fuse #8 said...

Got me some Bubble Homes and Fish Farts over at Fuse #8. Cheers!

Abby said...

Thanks for rounding us up, Pam!

I'm reviewing How to Survive in Antarctica

http://abbylibrarian.blogspot.com/2009/08/book-review-how-to-survive-in.html

Anonymous said...

Kim hutmacher reviews an oceanic twist on Mother Goose at the Wild About Nature blog:

http://wildaboutnaturewriters.blogspot.com/2009/08/nonfiction-monday-seaside-twist-on.html

Thank you for hosting this week!

Jennifer said...

Which Way to the Wild West by Steve Sheinkin

http://jeanlittlelibrary.blogspot.com/2009/08/which-way-to-wild-west-by-steve.html

Thanks! Jennifer

Anonymous said...

We (and by we, I mean I) have a review of "Just the Right Size" up at 100 Scope Notes

Anonymous said...

I have a review of Don't Squash That Bug! up for Non-Fiction Monday. Thanks!!

http://apatchworkofbooks.blogspot.com/2009/08/non-fiction-monday-dont-squash-that-bug.html

Amanda
A Patchwork of Books

Lori Calabrese said...

Great links so far!

Today, Lori Calabrese Writes! highlights an amazing picture book biography--

Major Taylor Champion Cyclist

laurasalas said...

Thanks for the roundup, Pam. I laughed at your description of pandas--I've written a poem about animal camouflage called, But Where Do Pandas Hide?

I have a post today about my four new themed ABC books with Capstone Press.

http://laurasalas.livejournal.com/165606.html

Anonymous said...

Hi Pam,

Thanks for hosting!

Recently on INK: Interesting Nonfiction for Kids -- "Finding Truth, Then and Now" by Sue Macy; "14 Cows for America: Collaborating and Blog-touring" by Gretchen Woelfle; "Truth You Can Trust" by Vicki Cobb; and "Save This Superstar!" by Rosalyn Schanzer.
http://inkrethink.blogspot.com/

Jen Robinson said...

I'm in Pam, with a review of Unite or Die by Jacqueline Jules.

Wendie O said...

On Wendie's Wanderings I'm talking about Amazing Animals -- Rainforest Romp.
http://wendieold.blogspot.com/2009/08/nonfiction-monday-rainforest-romp.html

Thanks, -WendieOld

Bill said...

I read How Many Baby Pandas when MR brought it home and was overwhelmed by its cuteness.

I had to watch a Die Hard movie afterward just to get back to normal.

Terry Doherty said...

Thanks for hosting, Pam. We've been reading Follow the Money! by Loreen Leedy.

http://childrens-literacy.com/2009/08/10/nonfiction-monday-follow-the-money/

Tricia said...

I'm in today with a review of David Weitzman's book Pharaoh's Boat.

Thanks for hosting this shindig!

Anonymous said...

Great post, I'll be sure to check out some of these books. PST: I got your Ashton joke btw. LOL. Cool Round-Up. :D

Cindy Dobrez said...

Bookends blog has a post for Life in the Boreal Forest by Brenda Z. Guiberson to celebrate this week's Non-fiction Monday at http://bookends.booklistonline.com/2009/08/10/life-in-the-boreal-forest-by-brenda-z-guiberson/

Jennie said...

MR! You live in DC! Baby pandas don't look like a pink rat, they're THE SIZE OF A STICK OF BUTTER!

I'm in with The Frog Scientist:

http://www.jenrothschild.com/2009/08/nonfiction-monday.html

Suzanne Casamento said...

You are soooo right about Ashton. Great roundup!

Jennie said...

Dude, my friends and I still call him Butterstick.

Jennie said...

Also, while your non-local readers might not have gotten the joke, for their sakes I hope that they know the size of "a stick of butter" than a "pink rat"!