Good Night, Mr. Panda, written by Steve Antony, reviewed by Klaudia Janek

Student Reviewer: Ajit R. 
Summary: Good Night Mr. Panda, by Steve Antony, discusses a topic that everyone is familiar with, the daily routine when going to bed at night. Mr. Panda and his friends are all getting ready to go to bed, however his friends are forgetting essential parts of the routine before the go to sleep. First, Hippo tells Mr. Panda that he is going to bed, however, Mr. Panda informs him that he forgot to brush his teeth. Since Hippo is tired, he tells Mr. Panda that he will brush his teeth twice in the morning to make up for not brushing his teeth right now. Lemur, another one of Mr. Panda’s friends represents a person who follows the perfect routine and remembers to complete it all before bed. Next, Skunk informs Mr. Panda that he is going to bed, however like Hippo, Skunk forgot to complete a step in his routine, taking a bath. Once again Skunk goes around taking a bath by saying that he takes a bath once a month. Mr. Panda’s other friends, Sloth and the Sheep also inform him that they are going to sleep, however, they also forget to complete their routine, because Sloth is too tired to move, and the Sheep forgot pajamas. Mr. Panda is the responsible animal that is helping his friends get ready for bed until Mr. Panda goes to bed himself. The dialogue in this story either all involves Mr. Panda, and are either between an animal and Mr. Panda or between Lemur and Mr. Panda. The dialogue is kept short and between two individuals to represent the connection that the characters have with each other, especially with Mr. Panda. Mr. Panda is the balance between him and his friends, and he keeps the routine before going to bed until he goes to bed himself. The irony in the novel is that when Mr. Panda goes to bed, he does everything correctly but accidentally sleeps in Lemur’s bed instead of his own. Mr. Panda is helping his friends do everything correctly and complete their routine, however he ends up sleeping in the wrong bed due to how tired he is. The color used for the background represents a dark blue to resemble a dark night to complement the theme of going to bed.

Straight Talk for Librarians: This story is perfect for readers of all ages, and is perfect for parents who have readers that are not as excited or enthusiastic about going to bed. The fun story, colorful clothes and dark blue night background all keep the readers engaged and may even help them to think that bedtime is not so bad. A great choice for any school library.