Kids will love reading all about the panda Mei Lan, born at the Atlanta Zoo in September 2006. Through her story, they'll learn about what newborn pandas are like (they're the size of a stick of butter!), about their development, and about what life is like for pandas in the wild. This book also touches on efforts to protect this endangered species.

Kids will love reading all about the panda Mei Lan, born at the Atlanta Zoo in September 2006. Through her story, they'll learn about what newborn pandas are like (they're the size of a stick of butter!), about their development, and about what life is like for pandas in the wild. This book also touches on efforts to protect this endangered species.

Baby pandas abound as readers learn how they live and grow.Science expert Sandra Markle bumps up the cuteness factor in this adorable photo essay featuring the eight panda pairs that were born during a baby boom at China's Wolong Giant Panda Breeding and Research Center in 2005. Basic counting skills combine with panda facts to introduce readers to numbers and these cuddly cubs, from the moment they were born to the time they started climbing trees. Tracked as they play and grow in captivity, until they are strong enough to be released into the wild, these baby pandas will steal any reader's heart, whether it's one at a time or sixteen at once!

She's the first giant panda cub ever to survive in captivity in the Western Hemisphere. There are fewer than one thousand giant pandas left in the world, making Hua Mei's birth at the World-Famous San Diego Zoo in August 1999 a cause for celebration. In Little Panda, filled with exclusive photographs from the zoo, Hua Mei's first year is chronicled as she grows quickly from a tiny infant into a curious cub. Ever ready to play a game of tag with Mama or bravely explore new territory, Hua Mei will charm readers of all ages. Acclaimed author Joanne Ryder perfectly captures the spirit and playfulness of this endangered animal while teaching readers about the life and plight of the giant panda.

"Follow baby giant pandas' first experiences through engaging text, fun facts, and vibrant photography"--

"In August 2015, zookeepers at the National Zoo in Washington, DC, were thrilled to spot a tiny shadow on an ultrasound. For a species as rare as the giant panda, every new cub is cause for celebration. Zoo staff monitored mother Mei Xiang, and within days a newborn appeared, weighing in at just one third of a pound. While Mei Xiang cradled her vulnerable infant, zookeepers monitored the pair day and night through cameras in the panda den, and some two million viewers logged on to the zoo website. First Ladies Michelle Obama and Peng Liyuan hosted a ceremony to announce the cub's name: Bei Bei, meaning "precious treasure" in Mandarin Chinese. An instant celebrity, the cub captured hearts all over the world. But pandas in zoos are considered emissaries from the People's Republic of China, the only country where they live in the wild. Four years after his birth in America, Bei Bei would embark on an important new mission."--

Panda lovers will love following a giant panda and her cub in this engaging Science Reader from Step into Reading. Full of incredible photos and panda facts! Readers will learn how one mother panda and her cub are being protected and raised in a Chinese panda reserve, which seeks to help this vulnerable species survive. In fact, ChiDa, the panda cub, is being prepared to be released into the wild--once she is old enough and has learned important life skills from her mom! Young readers will find themselves rooting for ChiDa while decoding the simple text and gaining confidence in their reading. This book's fascinating photographs of pandas and its array of panda facts will captivate young nonfiction lovers. Great for proficient or reluctant readers. Step 3 Readers feature engaging characters in easy-to-follow plots about popular topics, for children who are ready to read on their own.