The Legend of the Panda

Steve Pitt is a Toronto-based freelance writer and an award-winning journalist. He has written many young adult and children's books, including Day of the Flying Fox: The True Story of World War II Pilot Charley Fox.

Long ago, in the Chinese province of Sichuan, there lived a beautiful
shepherdess named Dolma. As she wandered the valleys with her sheep,
Dolma collected special herbs that she gave to the local villagers as
medicines. She was always kind and generous; the people and animals
loved her. One day, Dolma met a little bear cub by a mountain stream.
Because its coat was white like her sheeps’ and it loved to play,
Dolma invited the cub to join her flock. Without warning, a snow leopard
attacked the cub. Armed only with a stick, Dolma tried to protect it.
The leopard killed Dolma but, because of her selfless bravery, the cub
and sheep were spared. The cub was so overcome with grief, he daubed his
white coat with soot and rubbed his tearful eyes. To this day his
descendants, the pandas, still wear these distinctive black markings on
their fur in memory of Dolma.

This magnificent book is a fitting tribute to one of China’s oldest
legends. Granfield, best known for her superb nonfiction, applies the
same concise style to this legend, deftly telling the story while
letting its original spirit come through. The book includes a two-page
appendix of scientific information about Ailuropod Melanoeuca (the giant
panda). Each of Song Nan Zhang’s illustrations is a vibrant visual
feast. Highly recommended.