Whoa Panda!

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Author(s)

C.S. Jennings

Publisher

Nancy Paulsen Book

Genre(s)

Age Range

Release Date

August 12, 2025

ISBN

978-0593324783

Buy This Book

From “Whoa!” to “Way to go!,” this is a humorous and heartwarming look at the importance of communicating personal boundaries.

Panda gets excited when he sees a potential friend. So excited, he’s apt to put his cold, wet nose right in their face! Eeek! Whoa Panda! Fortunately Panda has a friend to help him navigate how close is too close. And before long, he is able to say “Way to go, Panda” instead of “Whoa Panda!”

With irresistible art and a simple, encouraging text, this entertaining picture book is perfect for helping little ones become more self-aware of personal boundaries.

Editor review

1 review

Please, thank you, and RESPECT THE PERSONAL BUBBLE!

November 09, 2025 (Updated: June 24, 2026)

Overall rating

4.0

Plot

4.0

Characters

4.0

Writing Style

4.0

Illustrations/Photos (if applicable)

4.0

Panda is very exuberant, but he needs to work on his personal boundaries. He stands too close, and puts his nose right in others' faces! When this happens, his friend politely asks him to step back, and Panda does. When he meets a dog whom he thinks might be a new friend, however, he scares the dog off by being too enthusiastic and squeezes too hard. He has to be reminded that a better way to greet someone new is to give the puppy a smile from a distance. When Panda licks his new friend and is admonished, Panda gets angry and stomps off, but comes back and works on his interpersonal skills so that everyone is happy.

Good Points

Jennings has illustrated a wide variety of books, including the From An Idea To series, and her pictures have a great Cartoon Network goofy quality to them that is perfect for Panda's antics. Young readers will giggle when they turn the page and get a close up of Panda's eye... you are WAY too close, Panda! The dog is delightfully silly as well, and the blue and lime color scheme works with Panda's black and white.

It's hard to teach kids about personal space, even in middle school! (Do NOT hug your librarian. Please!) Humor is a great way to approach this topic, and the short and simple text is to the point. I can see this being used as a classroom read aloud in early elementary when students need lessens in keeping their hands to themselves, and the narrator has a calm, balanced approach that models how readers can tell others when behavior bothers them.

I'm a big fan of books about manners, and my personal favorite, that I read every time I visit my grandson, is Scarry's Little Golden Book of Manners. Include this in rotation with Keller's Do Unto Others, Willem's "Time to Say Please", Shannon's It's Not Funny, David, Bell's Chick and Brain: Smell My Foot to ensure that your young reader will have the skills needed to be successful in society!