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The Legend of the Panda
by Linda Granfield
illustrated by Song Nan Zhang
Themes include: environment / nature, geography,
science / nature, language
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About this book:
The Legend of the Panda recounts an ancient tale of how the
panda first got its black-and-white coat. It is a story of
sacrifice and love. Many years ago in the Wolong Valley in
China, where pandas still live today, a young shepherd girl
faced terrible danger and saved the life of the newest
member of her flock - a snowy white panda cub. The story is
enriched by award-winning artist Song Nan Zhang's hauntingly
beautiful illustrations. Inspired by his own travels along
the Silk Road, Song Nan has captured the breathtaking vistas
that are the home of these endangered creatures.
Following the retelling of this legend, renowned children's
historian Linda Granfield provides fascinating facts on
pandas and the efforts made by the World Wildlife Fund and
others to combat the very real possibility of extinction.
Teaching Ideas:
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Before reading the book:
Show the cover of the book and ask the children to predict
what the book is about. Brainstorm and chart what the class
knows about pandas. On a separate chart, list questions
that arise about the cover; for example, do real animals
cry? Why do you cry sometimes? What is a legend? It is a
story that is based on many retellings in the oral
tradition; not verifiable, but possibly based on an
historical event; the main character performs an heroic
deed, or shows great courage and sacrifice; this main
character dies while helping another or others.
Show the title page of the book. Discuss the mountain peaks
and the effective colors used by the artist to paint the
mountains, the sky, and the flowers: yellow, blue, and pink.
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During Reading:
Read the first eight pages aloud without comment. As you
turn to page nine, cover the picture of the snow leopard
with your hand and ask the children what they notice about
the picture. It's much darker and the animals are drawing
back. Discuss mood. Show the snow leopard and have the
children predict what will happen next. Continue reading to
the end.
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After First Reading:
Reread the story, relating the text to the pictures:
• Pages 1 & 2:
Setting: a valley deep in the
mountains
• Pages 3 & 4:
Setting: fragrant meadow (discuss
meaning of "fragrant.")
Character: What kind of person is Dolma? She is kind and
caring and loves animals.
• Pages 5 & 6:
Setting: open meadow (have children
notice how wide, open, and spacious it is.)
Character: How does Dolma feel? She is happy.
• Pages 7 & 8:
Discuss the mood of the illustration.
Have students find words in the text to substantiate the
happy mood depicted by the light colors in the bright
paintings: for example "laughed," "frolicked,"
"celebrating," and "play."
Discuss Dolma's name for the cub: "little Beishung."
• Pages 9 & 10:
Contrast the colors with those on the
preceding pages and their effect on the mood of the story.
• Pages 11 & 12:
Discuss Dolma's brave action.
• Pages 13 & 14:
Discuss the words of sadness:
"lamentations," "grief," "sorrowful," "heartbroken," "gray
clouds hung heavily."
Have students notice the panda's tears.
• Pages 15 & 16:
Discuss the change in the pandas.
• Pages 17 & 18:
Transformations are a common
characteristic of many folktales. Discuss the meaning of
"transformation" and whether it is occurring here.
• Pages 19 & 20:
Information on "The Giant Panda"
provides background data for teachers and research and
discussion ideas for older children.
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Thematic Connections:
ENVIRONMENT / NATURE:
Dolma is happy in her natural environment.
Have students who live in the countryside compare their
environment with the scenes in the book. Note the
similarities and differences. With urban children, discuss
nature and where they and their families go to enjoy a
natural environment. Discuss the value of parks, both large
and small.
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Literary Connections:
"Pourquoi" or "why" stories: Stories from many cultures seek
to explain natural phenomena in the form of what are
generally referred to as "pourquoi" stories. Stories that
describe particular traits or characteristics of animals are
popular with young children. Examples are: How the Chipmunk
Got Its Stripes by Nancy Cleaver, Why Mosquitoes Buzz in
People's Ears by Verna Aardema, and "How the Animals Got
Their Tails" by Ashley Brian. Rudyard Kipling's humorous
tales from Just So Stories are well known and popular,
particularly "The Elephant's Child." Intermediate grade
children often enjoy writing their own "pourquoi" tales.
Transformation stories: Many folktales have stories of
transformation; for example, the Anansi stories from West
Africa and the Caribbean, and several versions of Native
American folklore. Stories such as "The Frog Prince," show
human-animal transformations, while others illustrate people
becoming transformed into geographical features, such as
occurs in Gerald McDermott's "The Stonecutter."
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Interdisciplinary Connections:
SOCIAL STUDIES / GEOGRAPHY:
Have students locate China on a globe and on a large wall
map. Locate the area of China where Pandas live (the Wolong
Valley in Sichuan province). Note that this small area is
the only location in the world where pandas still live in
the wild.
Looking at the book,
The Children of China, by Song Nan
Zhang, have older students compare the physical
characteristics and dress of the children shown there from
the many different areas of China. Notice how Dolma is a
typical young girl from Sichuan province.
SCIENCE / NATURE:
Plant Life: Bamboo - Have students research and collect
information on types of bamboo and its uses.
Herbal Medicine: Dolma collects various herbs and flowers
for medicine. As an enrichment activity, have some students
visit, if possible, a traditional Chinese medicine shop and
bring samples for the others to examine. Research common
natural remedies for various conditions and find out which
ones are from China, or originated in China.
One of the most commonly used natural herbs in North America
today is ginseng. Find out how and where it is grown.
(There are several acres under cultivation in the Okanagan
Valley and the Kamloops area of British Columbia).
Animal life: Have some students research the life cycle of
pandas. Other students could research pandas as an
endangered species and their precarious survival in the
wild. Have them refer to the last two pages of the book as
a basis for a report to the class. Discuss, or have
individuals report on:
• why the panda is in danger of extinction (scarcity of
food, destruction of habitat, natural enemies, etc.)
• plans to save the panda from extinction, for example,
where are pandas kept in captivity
• the successful breeding of pandas in captivity
• China's responsibility to prevent the extinction of
pandas (A recent news article, fall 1999, reported on a
panda being born at the San Diego zoo).
• the work of the World Wildlife Fund
• moral issues of cloning animals
• mountain lions: How common are they in China? Where is
their habitat? Are they also in danger of extinction? What
are their natural enemies? Compare Asian mountain lions
with North American mountain lions.
ART:
The illustrator, Song Nan Zhang, has illustrated several
books for children. Have students find out more about the
artist and his art by examining his autobiography,
A Little
Tiger in the Chinese Night, and by learning more about life
in China through his books,
Five Heavenly Emperors,
The Children of China, and
Cowboy on the Steppes.
ENGLISH / LANGUAGE ARTS:
This legend contains many examples of sensory images. Help
students find examples such as frosty waterfalls (touch),
fragrant meadows (smell), and red and gold poppies (sight).
Draw attention to descriptive phrases that use figurative
language such as "gentians as blue as the mists that veiled
the mountaintops" (simile) and "purple violets lifted their
tiny faces" (personification). Find other examples in the
story.
WRITING:
Make a list of animals with unusual characteristics. From
the list, have students choose one and write a story to
explain how the animal got that way. Examples: "How the
Lion Got Its Mane," "How the Rhino Got Its Horn," and "How
the Giraffe Got Its Neck."
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Related Books:
How the Chipmunk Got Its Stripes by Nancy Cleaver
How Summer Came to Canada by William Toye, illustrated by
Elizabeth Cleaver
Dippers by Barbara Nichol,
illustrated by Barry Moser
The Man Who Made Parks
by Frieda Wishinsky, illustrated by Song Nan Zhang
Just So Stories by Rudyard Kipling including: "The
Elephant's Child," "How the Camel Got His Hump," " How the
Leopard Got His Spots," and others.
Related Legends by C.J. Taylor, illustrated by the author:
Bones in the basket
The Ghost and Lone Warrior
How Two-Feather was saved from loneliness
How we saw the world
Little Water and the gift of the animals
The Messenger of Spring
The monster from the swamp
The secret of the white buffalo
Tundra Teacher Guides:
Amazing Grace,
Charlotte,
Dippers,
The Long Road,
Lucy Maud and the Cavendish Cat,
A Mountain Alphabet,
Silent Night
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