16th September Joanne Ryder (1946)

Joanne Ryder is an American, nature-loving children's author. My library had several of her books but I didn't really notice them until Panda Kindergarten became a very popular book in the library and I went in search of other books by her. Earthdance and Every Living Thing go to Year 2 when they are doing the environment, The Snail's Spell and Where Butterflies Grow to Year 1 when they study minibeasts, but Panda Kindergarten  is borrowed by children! They seem to have a fascination with pandas and so it seems does Joanne. Harper Collins, her publisher says she 'has always loved pandas, starting with the very first small panda toy she had as a child. She has continued to be fascinated by these rare and wonderful animals   throughout her career as a writer.'  Pair this book with Sandra Markle's  How Many Baby Pandas? and you will have students who want to read every panda book in the library.