Panda at the Door

Pudding the panda is the Star Attraction at Edinburgh Zoo and an avid fan of Mary Poppins. Though she adores making all the visitors happy at the zoo, Pudding craves a family of her own – perhaps she could be a nanny, just like Mary Poppins herself.

When Pudding’s keeper lets slip that there are plans afoot to send Pudding to China, Pudding definitely doesn’t want to go – and when she receives an email from a very sad little boy called Callum Campbell, she knows just what she has to do. Who says pandas can’t arrive unexpectedly on the doorstep and make everything better? And can Pudding save the day and turn panda-monium into a delightful panda-mime, courtesy of Callum’s performer dad – and reunite the family?

This delightful adventure from Sarah Horne, cowritten by Anna Wilson and illustrated by Horne, is a readable romp with a compassionate heart at its core. Callum’s parents are constantly arguing, and the bully over the road, Mike Spiker, is intent on making his life hell. Yet, as in the original Mary Poppins story, Pudding‘s presence improves Callum’s life considerably as well as his parents’ and his annoying little sister, too: sometimes, we all need a bit of help to pull through difficult times.