It turns out that this blog post is by far THE most visited page on my site, so here's all you need to know about Mr Panda, including links to activities and lesson tips.
'Please Mr Panda' (or 'Please, Mr. Panda' in some territories) was published at the end of 2014. The response has been incredible! It was Barnes & Nobles' Children's Book of the Month and read in over 640 of their branches at the same time across the States for their first Story Time event in January 2015.
The Times
Mr Panda's big reveal at Bologna Children's Book Fair in 2014. Photo courtesy of Martin Salisbury
The Times chose it as their Children's Book of the Week in December 2014. It's had fantastic reviews by The New York Times, School Library Journal, The Bookseller, Kirkus, and lots of blogs have featured it, including Buzzfeed and Huffington Post.
But what I've loved the most is when people have that lightbulb moment and 'get' the story, especially at events - which can be really fun. The responses have ranged from complete befuddlement to laugh-out-loud hysteria. But one thing is for sure, Mr Panda always gets his point across - which is, if you want one of his doughnuts, you had better say PLEASE!
The hashtag #pleasemrpanda is being used on both Twitter and instagram. Some of the photos have been hilarious and very sweet, too. Below are just a few.
I've had some lovely emails and tweets about the book. One parent contacted me to say that 'Please Mr Panda' was the first book her son was able to read and understand all by himself, despite his learning difficulties.
Some children even dressed up as Mr Panda for World Book Day (below).
But it seems as though Mr Panda is not just for the kids. 'Please Mr Panda' was voted 'book of the year' by a high school in the States.
And the bookstore displays I've seen (below) have just blown me away.
I've written a blog about Lesson Tips here.
I've got activity sheets here.
Here's an interview where I talk about how being red-green colour-deficient has heavily influenced the way in which I approach colour for all of my books, including 'Please Mr Panda'.
Scroll down for the 'Please Mr Panda' video trailer, or press here.
'Please Mr Panda' (or 'Please, Mr. Panda') is available in the States, Canada, UK, Australia and lots of other countries. It'll be translated into several languages, including French, Japanese, Portuguese, Spanish and Korean.
The book's available in most bookstores, I think. It's recently been made available in Target in the States. Or you could just buy it online or borrow it from your local library.
Thank you for visiting my site! Please feel free to have a look around. Below are a bunch of Mr Panda photos and tweets. Speaking of tweets, you are welcome to tweet Mr Panda photos to @MrSteveAntony. I'll be sure to retweet. I'm on Facebook, Instagram and Tumblr, too.
Mabel's Fables book store in Toronto
Tales on Moon Lane's doughnut-y bookshop window in London.
Peters Booksellers in Birmingham, UK. Amazing!
At Barnes & Noble in New York. An unforgettable experience.
"Would you like a doughnut?" Please, Mr Panda off to school on #WBD2015 @MrSteveAntony pic.twitter.com/RxIQpnPkBS
— Non Pratt (@NonPratt) March 5, 2015Sometimes I wish I taught elementary. Mostly because of books like this. https://t.co/k9sYKDjZ4Q #pleasemrpanda #scholastic
— K.Vann (@Kris10Vann) February 22, 2015"That's the CUTEST panda I've ever seen!" -1st grader after seeing Please Mr. Panda for the first time @MrSteveAntony pic.twitter.com/eJHpYnmffi
— Teresa Dolan (@dolanreads) February 5, 2015PLEASE, MR PANDA by @mrsteveantony is an instant favorite. Out now from @scholastic. #tlchat #kidlit https://t.co/1mig5dowDV
— Matthew C. Winner (@MatthewWinner) February 2, 2015RT @hodderchildrens: .@MrSteveAntony's Please Mr Panda is in good company on the @Waterstones bestseller list here! pic.twitter.com/bh2kLa0bE7
— Rebecca Logan (@bookshop_becky) January 30, 2015Think #pleasemrpanda might be my little girls new favourite book! @MrSteveAntony @PetersBooks @hodderchildrens pic.twitter.com/9O9Dy7lXqK
— Marketing Mummy (@marketingmummy1) January 28, 2015This panda has stolen my heart.
#NationalReadathonDay #PleaseMrPanda #SteveAntony @Scholastic pic.twitter.com/62tGfOUmNB
— Samantha Berger (@BergerBooks) January 25, 2015@MrSteveAntony @HodderBooks Would Joe like a doughnut? He's a boy after your own heart (+ donut) #PleaseMrPanda pic.twitter.com/rbOHPQe51K
— Catherine O'Dolan (@lillondonlife) January 23, 2015My cat could star in #pleasemrpanda pic.twitter.com/GKzBvJhXzn
— emily smith (@emilystickmen) January 22, 2015So excited about our Please Mr Panda window! Yes, those are real doughnuts! @MrSteveAntony @hodderchildrens pic.twitter.com/v6VPCFQdF4
— Tales on Moon Lane (@talesonmoonlane) January 9, 2015#PleaseMrPanda We love pandas, donuts, making hats, and stickers...perfect storytime today at B&N. pic.twitter.com/oOIswrptfC
— Janine Eng (@JanineEB532) January 10, 2015Picked up the little gem at the bookstore today... @MrSteveAntony PLEASE MR. PANDA. #B&NPictureBookoftheMonth pic.twitter.com/amlIzWsyYc
— Kim Lynn Price (@KimLynn_Writes) January 21, 2015The Picture Book of the Day pick is Please, Mr. Panda! @Scholastic #pbotd #kidlitchat pic.twitter.com/qAJtkLockL
— GrowingBookbyBook (@growingbbb) February 25, 2015@MrSteveAntony @hodderchildrens @jk_rowling @BloomsburyBooks Mr Panda meets Hermione Granger #WorldBookDay pic.twitter.com/yoGKmBklMm
— Jo Byatt (@JoanneByatt1) March 5, 2015@MrSteveAntony the staff enjoyed them, gone in 2 seconds. Here is student work, the prek kids loved your book. pic.twitter.com/LFcDrYRpu0
— Mrs. Gargula (@BetancesLMC) February 20, 2015
