The Year of The Panda by Miriam Schlein

The Year of The Panda was written by Miriam Schlein and illustrated by Kam Mak.
Genre: Juvenile
Sub-genre: Fiction
Theme: Conservation
Primary and Secondary Characters: Lu Yi is the primary character. Dr. Di, Hu Shang, and Lu Yi's father are secondary characters.
Awards: None
Publisher and Date of Publication: Harper Collins Publishing; 1990
Summary and Uses: Lu Yi lives on a farm that his family has owned for generations. Strange things happen such as men from the government come to the farm and ask Lu Yi's father to sell the farm and a giant panda appears in a neighbor's field. Lu Yi feels that the two mysteries are connect and soon finds himself caught up trying to nurse the animal back to health which has an impact his future. This book shows how animals can become extinct not from malice but through lack of understanding. This book facilitates that learning and will have a huge impact on students. A connection to science and social studies could be made using this book in a lesson.