Panda Panic: Running Wild (Awesome Animals)
Gr 2–4—These off-the-wall chapter books each feature a different cast of animal characters facing a challenge: a little panda with a big imagination surfs (on a door borrowed from a ranger's station) too far down the river; three young meerkats attempt to locate their mother in the Kalahari; and penguins in the zoo search for two missing chicks. A few animal facts are woven into the plots, but they are largely lost in the silliness that overwhelms the stories. Even serious animal lovers will quickly tire of these trite attempts at humor and adventure, from the stereotypical, such as Ping the Panda's mother speaking in proverbs, to the downright ridiculous (penguins attempting to escape from their enclosure by snowboard). Readers who persevere will at least enjoy the black-and-white cartoon illustrations that sometimes add clarity and clever details to the animals' high jinks.—Amanda Struckmeyer, Middleton Public Library, Madison, WI