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September Pick of the Month: “When I Draw a Panda” by Amy June Bates

Book cover of 'When I Draw a Panda'

WITF is partnering with Midtown Scholar Bookstore on a Pick of the Month. Read along with us and discover books we think you’ll like. September’s pick is When I Draw a Panda by Amy June Bates.


From the acclaimed author and illustrator of The Big Umbrella comes a delightful celebration of creativity and gumption about a girl and her panda that’s Calvin and Hobbes meets If You Give a Mouse a Cookie!

Sometimes when they say to draw a perfect circle, mine turn out a little wonky.
I can draw a perfect fluffy cloud, a perfect scoop of ice cream, and a perfect flat tire.
So when I draw a panda, I keep drawing more and more not-perfect circles until I see a panda.
Then I step back and think, Does it need something else? He probably needs a hat, and then he is my panda.

When a girl draws a panda, it comes to life and helps her embrace her own creativity and unique way of seeing the world.

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