Mr. Panda Storybook Art – Lesson 2
We all love panda bears! Because Panda’s are only black and white they make an easy project for the inexperienced artist like the average kindergartener. But I did not pick this Mr. Panda book craft project for that reason, I picked it for Steve Antony’s Mr. Panda series. I love this guy’s books and how his brain works. All I can say is that he is equal parts weird and wonderful.
Mr. Panda is a curmudgeonly panda that has a thing for donuts. So there is a lot of ground to explore in the project department. You could do donut crafts or Panda crafts, there is even a lemur that shows up so any unit on Steve Anthony’s books should have a lemur. The other thing that makes Little kids really need to be saturated in books to teach them that self-control is the path to the good life. Mr. Panda does this without preaching, without sentimental moralizing. He is funny and odd and these are the stories that most often hit their mark.
Good Night, Mr. Panda
This is a great book for establishing a nighttime routine for your little barbarians. I love how Mr. Panda makes suggestions that no one accepts. But it is clear by the hippo’s yellow teeth and the skunk’s smell, that there is a price to pay for skipping things in the nighttime routine.
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Please, Mr. Panda
Would you like a donut? Well, you better say please. Because Mr.Panda is not afraid to walk away from rude, demanding animals. There is no sermon, just consequences: no donut for you.
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I’ll Wait, Mr. Panda
A trail of impatient animals refuses to wait patiently for the treat that Mr.Panda is making. Only the penguin is willing to wait. And when he tells Mr.Panda that the treat was worth the wait, Mr. Panda says, “I Know.” I love this Panda because this is the closest he ever gets to preaching.
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Thank You, Mr. Panda
This is the book I read to our class at the beginning of our time. Because I think it is the funniest! Mr. Panda goes around giving gifts to his animal friends. This last page says it all. I am not going to ruin the story for you.
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Our Mr. Panda book craft project:
We used this pattern to make our own Mr. Panda. It is from CraftyPam.com and she has lots of storybook craft ideas. Even one that goes with an upcoming post on Mo Willems’ pigeon books.
Supplies Needed:
White cardstock to print the pattern
Scissors
Glue
Procedure:
Color all the pieces any colors you want
Cut the pieces out
Lay the pieces out to make sure you have everything in the right place
Glue the pieces together
This is a quick and easy Mr. Panda book craft project so we read more Mr. Panda books when we completed our project and then we had donuts for a snack while we watched some youtube videos on panda bears. You will find no end to the cute panda videos that will have your students laughing.
More Steve Antony Books
Unplugged
I LOVE THIS BOOK! This is a really fun book to read aloud as long as you do a fun voice for the computer. It tells the story of Blip who is stuck inside in the dark until he falls down the stairs and outside to discover a whole new world that is bright and real.
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Green Lizards vs. Red Rectangles
When I say that Steve Antony is weird and wonderful it’s because of books like this one. You just have to read it to get it. There is a really interesting application for our fragmented culture in this story.
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Betty Goes Bananas
Betty is a gorilla who wants what she wants and cannot seem to accept logic or reason. So that makes her like most of us. This is a great read-aloud for you if you have a child whose default reaction to any disappointment is to cry, weep or pitch a fit the way Betty does over peeling a banana.
More Resources for planning a lesson with Steve Antony’s books
Steve Antony’s personal Blog
Did you know that the National Zoo in Washington DC is the only place to see panda bears in America?
You can see the live feed of their Giant Panda Came here.
National Geographic has tons of videos on Pandas. Here is a great place to start.
More in this Storybook art class Series:
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