Please, Mr. Panda by Steve Antony (2014).
The premise is simple and the words are few. The characters are all black and white animals and the only color in the palette is from that bright, poppy box of doughnuts.
This is a manners book, but done funny with a dose of edge. Come see!
Just look at Mr. Panda! His gloomy eyes. The slight smudge of his shape. His “Doughnuts” cap! He looks like an apprehensive offerer. It’s like he already knows what’s going to happen.
And what happens is every animal he approaches doesn’t say please. They’re kind of an entitled (to doughnuts) bunch. And that’s the pattern of the book, with slight variation. Mr. Panda asks an animal if they’d like a doughnut and they respond with “I want the blue one and the yellow one” or “No, go away” or “I want them all! Then bring me some more.” No doughnuts for those guys.
Then, brilliantly, a new animal shows up. A lemur, who turns the pattern and even the orientation of the illustrations upside down! A lemur who says please and thank you and gets all the doughnuts. That last spread with the polite lemur in the box of doughnuts, bright pastry rings on his tail tells us that if you’re a nice lemur, you get doughnuts. Which is a pretty good deal.
One exuberant treat and one straight-faced panda. And the need for PLEASE.
Please Mr. Panda images from Steve Antony’s website.
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My talented friend Bonnie at Thirsty for Tea is a seriously creative cook and tea connoisseur in addition to being one of my favorite people. Her blog recipes are always gorgeous and full of fun!
For our Please Mr. Panda collaboration, she made a box of donuts, just like Mr. Panda’s! To a tea!
No artificial colorings found in these poppy pastries. Bonnie whipped up icing that’s colored and flavored using pea flower, hibiscus, matcha, Earl Gray, and rooibos tea! (I told you she was amazing.)
These are also on the healthier side—baked not fried and with a couple ingredients like coconut oil and flax seeds. But mostly, they’re fun and delicious and would make most creatures say, yes, PLEASE!
For the recipe, more photos, and Bonnie’s take on the book, visit her blog!
You may be interested in my first collaboration with Bonnie too. Apple Cake: A Recipe for Love + Apple Cake Recipe by Thirsty for Tea.
Thanks for a delicious post about this wonderful book!
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I just got this book from the library. It’s very funny. Clearly, this ringtail isn’t related to King Julius from the Pengins of Madagascar movies. Now, gotta find out more about these donuts. Wondering if my son would like them. They look de-lov-elly.
I just tried the link to Bonnie’s blog. It didn’t work, so I puttered around there, anyway, finding all kinds of goodies, including the doughnut post. Sounds scrumptious! You might want to fix the link. Cheers!
Jilanne, Thanks so much for letting me know about the links! All fixed!
What a pretty, pretty post. Love the colors and the black and white contrast.
Thought Mr. Panda was going to end up wearing those donuts as silly goggles, but he was simply a stickler for civility. That punctilious panda!
Hahaha. Well put! He’s not a silly goggles kind of guy, that one. 🙂
Love this book! And the donuts look delicious. 🙂 Coincidentally, I just ate a doughnut right before I opened this post, unaware what the content was. It didn’t look nearly as delicious as these.
Kismet! Bonnie’s treats set the bar pretty high. 🙂
Oh. My. WORD!!! These are amazing, Danielle! Hats’ off to Bonnie for pairing such a beautiful treat with one of my favorite picture books!
Hey, Matthew! Agreed. Bonnie’s creations blow me away! 🙂
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mon dieu! what a delight. Mr. Panda would be proud.
Thanks so much!!
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