Mrs. Harkness and the Panda
by Alicia Potter
illustrated by Melissa Sweet
In 1934 very few had ever seen, or even knew of, the panda. Few had dared to travel to the bamboo forests of China to see the mysterious animal, but Ruth Harkness knew her husband was one who would be able to make the journey. Although she wanted to go with him to China to find a panda, at the time very few felt women should be explorers. Waiting at home while her husband journeyed through China, she received the heartbreaking news that her husband had died in China before completing his quest. Despite the doubts of many, Mrs. Harkness decided to travel to China and brave the bamboo forests so that she could complete her husband's quest to find a panda.
This is a well-written story about the history of the panda and how the first panda was brought back to the United States. While sharing this story with students, be sure to include the author's note at the end, which explains how, in the 1930s, the views of animal conservation were very different than they are now. The author also explains that, although what Mrs. Harkness did nearly eighty years ago would likely not be done today, her actions helped bring world-wide attention to the panda.
The story starts with a sleeping young narrator named Flora, who is waking up with the sun shining in her face, asking the readers which direction her window must face. The first pages show a map of the home she lives in, including an explanation of map scales. Later we see a treasure map she has created to lead the readers to her treasure chest, as well as maps of their dining room table, town they live in (which shows the routes her parents take) and many other maps of places she goes. Each hand-drawn map includes important map features - legends, compass rose, etc - and explanations of what these features are. At the end of the book are several map activities, including a place for the reader to draw his or her own map. Web addresses to download these activities are provided.
The cover of this book shows a cartoonish pink blobfish excitedly tearing through the cover. While one may initially assume this is a fiction book, once inside it is clear from the photographs of various deep sea creatures that there is much more to this book than our boisterous (and slightly impatient) pink friend.
For Ada’s family, and most others in the Paraguay town of Cateura, the large, smelly landfill was a source of income, as they searched through it for items to be sold or used for other purposes. When Ada was 11, a devoted music teacher used items from that landfill to change the lives of many children. After advertising music lessons, Favio Chavez found he had more students than instruments. Not wanting to turn away students, Favio was able to turn items from the landfill into instruments. Ada, and other children of Cateura, finally had instruments to play! Over time, the devoted musicians became the Recycled Orchestra of Paraguay, which now travels the world, using their recycled instruments to share their music with people all over.
It all started with two sticks of gum. When U.S. Air Force Lieutenant Gail Halvorsen shared the only candy he had, two sticks of gum, with a group of children living in post World War II Berlin, it motivated him to do more for them by dropping candy from his airplane for the children of Berlin. Soon Lt. Halvorsen's efforts became famous, leading to numerous generous donations from many.