Adventures of a Pangopup - Terri Tatchell - ★★★★.½
AUTHOR: Terri Tatchell
ILLUSTRATOR: Ivan Sulima
SERIES: Endangered and Misunderstood Animals, #2
GENRE: Children's Picture Book
RATING: 4.5 stars.
After I chanced upon the third book of the “Endangered and Misunderstood Animals” series—a book named Okapi Loves His Zebra Pants, I was so impressed that I immediately searched for the other two books. Luckily, both of them are on KU and this made my pocket happier.
This is the second book of the series. And it is just as cute as the third one.
Pangopup, a little pangolin, is fed up of being at home. His mother doesn’t allow him outside as there are many dangers and he is very small. One day, tired of his boring house, he sneaks out of the house while his mother his asleep. He discovers a beautiful world full of a variety of creatures. He has a fun time playing with them and even makes a new friend, a dik-dik deer, who introduces him to more adventures. Pangopup is quite confident now that his mother was wrong and that he can take care of himself. Just then, he runs into the most dangerous mammal of all – a human being. Can dik-dik help little Pangopup escape this terrible danger?
The story is quite heartfelt and shows more or less precise emotions from both the parent’s and the child’s perspectives. Pangopup’s need for adventure is the natural curiosity of any child. At the same time, his mother’s protectiveness and need to shelter her child from unseen dangers is justified. What the story could have dwelt a little more on is the need for open communication. (Or maybe, this is the takeaway that parents can discuss with their kids while reading this book to them.) There is always a reason behind why parents say something, but they don’t share this reason with their children often. Having open communication always helps in reducing frustrations from both sides.
The content is written in rhythmic prose that works wonderfully without feeling forced. There are at least two quatrains of verse on every single page, so though this is a typical 32 page picture book, it feels like it has much more content.
The illustrations are outstanding. Children will surely find the book a visual treat. Plus, they get to meet a whole load of fascinating African animals. There are some fun facts about pangolins and dik-dik deer at the end and also some tips on how you can help endangered animals.
This is perfect for read-alouds at home and school. Heartily recommended.
If you are looking for one more compelling reason to buy this gem, note that all proceeds from the sale of this book will go into the conservation of pangolin and other endangered creatures that are mentioned in this series.
Courtesy the author, there are free activity sheets, animal facts and resources for parents and teachers on www.endangeredandmisunderstood.com. Check it out.
In case you are interested in this amazing series, here are the other four books in order, though they are all standalone titles.
When I had read them, each of these titles were available on KU.
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