Mary Quattlebaum (Children's Literature)
The bears are back! The author-illustrator team that introduced the classic Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? in 1967 return this summer with Panda Bear, Panda Bear, What Do You See?. Martin's simple, rhythmic text features ten endangered creatures, including a bald eagle, sea lion and spider monkey. As with the earlier book, each page invites the child to focus on one animal depicted by Eric Carle. The engaging chant and collages show how each animal moves, whether soaring, splashing or swinging. Little ones will probably imitate these motions with delight. Especially powerful is the book's closing image: a moon-faced "dreaming child" watching over all ten creatures "wild and free." 2003, Henry Holt, $15.95. Ages 1 to 5.

Della A. Yannuzzi (Children's Literature)
The author begins his book with "Panda Bear, Panda Bear, what do you see? I see a bald eagle soaring by me." The text then continues on with "Bald Eagle, Bald Eagle, what do you see? I see a water buffalo charging by me." And so on, naming different animals that are in danger of extinction. The repetition and rhythm of the words will appeal to a child. The illustration of each animal is on two full pages in large, broad strokes and vibrant colors. Young children can learn the names of the animals as well as colors and shapes. A spider monkey is in bright reds with a green background, a bald eagle soars with reddish-brown wings and a yellow beak, and a blue-and-turquoise sea lion with a round face is one of the animals depicted in this book. The book ends with a black panther seeing a Dreaming Child, and the Dreaming Child sees all the animals on the last two pages. This is a very nice book for preschool children, and a charming picture book about endangered animals. 2003, Henry Holt and Company, $$15.95. Ages 2 to 5.

Vicki Arkoff (Midwest Book Review, "Vicki's Bookshelf" column, October 2003)
Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See?" was such a tremendous success as both a picture book and emergent reader that it was virtually impossible not to continue the winning streak with a sequel. Enter "Panda Bear, Panda Bear, What Do You See?" a nearly exact replica of it's predecessor even more so than the previous "Polar Bear, Polar Bear, What Do You Hear?" Sporting the same rhyming scheme, same rhythm, same painted collage technique and same, well, everything, the latest bear book by the beloved team of Bill Martin Jr. and Eric Carle seems at first a Xerox copy of the original. Upon closer inspection, however, it's revealed that this animal parade is exclusively made up of endangered species, rather than a typical neighborhood or zoo population. A bald eagle soars, a spider monkey swings, a mararoni penguin struts and a red wolf sneaks through the rollicking, comfortingly repetitious text. It's dreamlike message is subtle and effective, its images graceful and original, and its presence in the lap of a loving reader, fabulous. 2003, Henry Holt & Co., $15.95.

Sara Torres (The Lorgnette - Heart of Texas Reviews (Vol. 16, No. 2))
PANDA BEAR, PANDA BEAR, WHAT DO YOU SEE? follows the same pattern as Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See?, except in this one the animals are all endangered. This is a wonderful book to discuss actions. Little ones will have a great time learning about these new animals and acting out the story. The illustrations are full of eye-catching colors. Fiction. Grades Preschool-K. 2003, Holt, Unpaged., $15.95. Ages 2 to 5.