How Close Is Too Close When Meeting a Friend in Picture Book With Life Lesson

Everyone became less willing to hug or touch someone during the past lockdown with covid that we experienced a few years ago. We became aware that it might not be a good idea to be so close to someone's face when greeting someone. C. S. Jennings' adorable picture book Whoa Panda! has a life lesson for young readers that can teach children how to greet a friend or someone that they do not know without being so close in a physical way.

This cute panda is very exuberant when encountering a friend. He gets very close and in the face of people when he greets them. The friend tells him that he is too close and that he needs to give the person some space when greeting. Panda encounters a puppy and again becomes very excited to meet a possible new friend. He squeezes the puppy and forgets the lesson that he should not be so close when greeting someone. The puppy objects to being squeezed and Panda learns that just a friendly smile is enough when encountering a new friend. The puppy does not like to be licked and Panda decides to walk away. A surprise ending allows everyone to have fun when Panda returns.

C. S. Jennings is a talented illustrator with his large and colorful illustrations for his picture book Whoa Panda!. Each illustration fills the pages with Panda's exuberance when greeting a new friend and the lesson that he learns.

Whoa Panda! is recommended for ages 3-7. It was published by Nancy Paulsen Books, a division of Penguin/Random House. It has an ISBN of 978-0-593-32478-3.

Teachers who teach in early education classrooms and parents who want to teach their young child the important lesson of proper greeting with friends or others will want to add Whoa Panda! to their classroom library and family bookshelf. The years with covid brought the idea of being too close to the attention of many people and we have carried the idea of getting too close when greeting with us after covid. This adorable picture book can be an introduction for young children to teach the proper way to greet someone in our world now.

*Read Whoa Panda! in a story time session. Call attention to Panda's excitement when encountering a friend.

*Panda gets too close and in someone's face when he encounters a friend. Engage children in a discussion of the reasons that we should not get too close when greeting someone. It is also a good idea to ask if someone is agreeable to a hug or being touched when greeting someone.

*Engage children in a role-playing activity of greeting someone. Teach the lesson of asking someone if they would like a hug. Teach the proper way to stand apart when greeting.

*Engage in a role-playing activity of just offering a smile when greeting someone.

*Call attention to the end of the story when Panda returns and begins to dance when encountering a new friend. Everyone is now having fun. Engage children in a discussion of activities that they can do with new friends.

*Bring music into your classroom for children to dance with Panda.

C. S. Jennings is a talented illustrator for over two dozen children's books. He was a nominee for the TLA Bluebonnet Award for his book From an Idea to Disney and his graphic novel series Pet Shop Racers.