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Bad Panda

by Swapna Haddow, illustrated by Sheena Dempsey

Interest age: 8 to 11
Reading age: 8+

Published by Faber & Faber, 2021

  • Adventure
  • Chapter books
  • Funny

About this book

What makes a panda turn bad? Well, Lin has tried being good and doing all the right things and where has it got her? Thousands of miles away from her beloved brother, Face-Like-A-Bag-Of-Potatoes, is where.

At home in the panda sanctuary, Lin was the cutesiest, wootsiest, fluffiest, wuffiest baby, while her brother looked like he’d been spun too fast in a washing machine.
Being cute had her sent to be the cuddly face of a foreign zoo. So maybe being bad will get her sent home?

But scaring pigeons (lots of them), doing the stinkiest farts she can manage and kicking over piles of bamboo just make people think she’s cuter than ever. Time to take Mission Bad Panda to the next level.

Anyone who’s ever been cuddled, smooshed or had their hair mussed up one too many times will empathise with poor Lin who is sick and tired of being adorable.

Lin and her new friend Fu put serious thought, planning and effort into their badness and their hilarious exploits are illustrated on every page. With widely spaced text and a distinctive red/grey colour palette this is an ideal story for newly confident readers.

About the author

Londoner Swapna Haddow is the award-winning children's author of the Dave Pigeon series. She loves to write about boisterous animals that cause mayhem and is working to make sure mean cats, grizzly bears and big-hearted little rabbits find their place on the bookshelves. Friendship and humour are always at the heart of what Swapna loves to write.

Her first published book, Dave Pigeon, illustrated by Sheena Dempsey, received rave reviews and went on to win three regional awards in the UK and was shortlisted for the prestigious Sainsbury's Children's Book Award. The series is based on two pigeons who find themselves battling predators in an array of madcap scenarios, all the while proving that friendship and teamwork can defeat anything. Swapna now lives in New Zealand with her husband, son and their dog, Archie.

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