Please Mr Panda

Story

Mr Panda offers a tray of doughnuts to an array of black-and-white animals. But do any of them get one? Please Mr Panda is a very funny story about the importance of manners. Especially if you want a doughnut.

Why we chose it

Please Mr Panda has long been a favourite with our younger visitors and was one of our most popular stories at our ABC Stories sessions for pre-school children.

Where it came from

Steve Anthony was born in the UK, grew up in New Mexico, USA and moved back to the UK in the 1990s. He loved spending time in the library and this inspired him to draw and write his own stories. He is red-green colour-blind which has influenced the way he works - and he says he wouldn't have it any other way. He is now a Patron of the Swindon Libraries Children’s Services.

Where it went next

Please Mr Panda was longlisted for the Kate Greenaway Medal in 2016, and won the Oxfordshire Book Awards (picture book category) and the Early Years Niagara Literary Award. It has been translated into several languages, including French, Japanese, and Portuguese, and has sold over 700,000 copies worldwide. The Mr Panda series has been optioned for TV by Magic Light Pictures. Another successful book, The Queen’s Hat, has been adapted into a musical by the London Symphony Orchestra.

Associated stories

Mr Panda appears in a number of other stories, including I’ll Wait Mr Panda, Thank You Mr Panda and Mr Panda’s Feelings. Steve Anthony has also written and illustrated a collection of Queen stories (The Queen’s Hat, The Queen’s Handbag, The Queen’s Present and The Queen’s Lift-Off) and Amazing, the story of a boy and his pet dragon. Work with other authors includes the picture book When I Grow Up with Tim Minchin.