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Panda Cake

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Willy doesn't get any of Mama's special panda cake for which he carefully helped gather ingredients.

33 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1978

66 people want to read

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Rosalie Seidler

4 books1 follower

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5 stars
139 (74%)
4 stars
32 (17%)
3 stars
14 (7%)
2 stars
1 (<1%)
1 star
0 (0%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 30 reviews
Profile Image for Kathryn.
793 reviews19 followers
May 9, 2011
Another 25 cent library rescue. When my six-year-old went through our take, the little goodreader-in-training divided all of the books into happy, scary, weird, and sad piles, all without input from me. My obsessive compulsive impulses were proud. This was the only book he placed in the sad pile. After reading the story, he understood why.

I am surprised by this book. I loved the moral of the story. I loved that my boys asked numerous questions after reading and I love that the book helped them to understand some concepts that I have difficulty explaining simply enough for them to comprehend. This book is about a little panda cub who finds translation - steals what he was sent to the store to buy. He then takes Momma's money and splurges on the fair. Anyway, we had a wonderful conversation about choices and consequences, about thinking things through, and above all else, about doing what momma says to do. :)
Profile Image for Emily.
194 reviews21 followers
August 1, 2016
This book is seriously the best. Fun meter, adorable characters, instructive story (natural consequences!), delicious cake. What's not to love?
91 reviews
January 19, 2018
A fun rhyming verse about a panda family and a cake. When the two little pandas think they can just find all the ingredients instead of buying them will Mama Panda be happy in the end?
Profile Image for 寿理 宮本.
2,461 reviews17 followers
June 11, 2023
This is cute BUT...

...the baby panda takes a goose's eggs, the goose complains, "HEY THOSE ARE MY BABIES* YOU COOKED", so the mother panda makes up for it by... sharing the cake with the goose?

???

um

The artwork is fantastic, though, and I would like the book much more except for the egg thing... *creepy*...

*not actually her babies I HOPE, but still not the baby panda's property to take and hand off to the little brother while running off to the carnival with the money Mama Panda gave them.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
1 review
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December 12, 2019
I read this story to my children when they were growing up. Thought I had lost it and then for my 61st birthday my daughter gave me the book, rebound, because it had seen so many loving reads.
Precious.
I love the story about the big brother taking advantage of the little brother....and the little brother getting the reward in the end.
Sibling interaction at it's finest.
Profile Image for Lisa.
1,718 reviews18 followers
February 2, 2023
I am 100% biased regarding this book because pandas are my favorite animal and I like cake. That being said it is a cute book about not taking from others and doing the assigned task so you can reap the sweet reward. I liked the mother's response to the animals arriving saying the ingredients in her cake had been taken from them. A rhyming story with cute pictures and a lesson to be learned.
43 reviews
February 10, 2025
Panda Cake is a delightful rhyming story with an aim of teaching that stealing and deceiving are wrong without being preachy about it. I struggle with the goose eating a cake made from her own eggs, though.
This is the type of book that makes me wish certain books were back in print.
Profile Image for Mandie Kramer.
4 reviews3 followers
November 13, 2019
Great kid's book teaching about focusing on the task at hand or else you'll miss out!
Profile Image for Lydia Davis.
45 reviews2 followers
May 9, 2025
A book from my childhood, now for my kid. It aged well!
Profile Image for Carmen something.
89 reviews2 followers
May 15, 2007
Hands down, my favorite children's book. Sometimes when I see my mom she still brings it out to read as I rub her feet and we look at pictures of my childhood.

My rating is entirely sentimental, but since I'm the first it will remain an average of 5 stars for now. Satisfaction.

The story is written in rhyme and concerns two panda bears on a mission to buy cake supplies but stop at the fair and spend the money on fun rides. There are always consequences for our actions, but more importantly, mammas who love their little bears still give them cake.
Profile Image for Amanda.
2,480 reviews10 followers
June 17, 2008
This was one of my books as a child and my mom gave it to me for my son. It's a cute rhyming story about all the ingredients that go into "Panda Cake" and how the little boy pandas don't buy them, but rather take them from unsuspecting animals. The joke's on Willy, though, since while he's spending Mama's money on the merry-go-round, Mama is sharing the panda cake with all the animals they took ingredients from. Since it's cooking, DS loves it and the charcoal drawings are nice.
Profile Image for angrykitty.
1,120 reviews13 followers
January 28, 2008
ok ok ok...the only reason i bought this from a second hand store was because i'm totally in love with pands. the fact is though, it's a pretty good kids book. it has a moral to it, but it's not too overwhelming. and the pandas are just so cute!
Profile Image for Sally Walker.
577 reviews
April 12, 2012
i LOVE this Book and i was terrified when i thought i lost it years ago so i got online and was so happy i found it. i fished out the money and bought it! years later my original copy was given to me and now i HAPPILY Own 2 copies!! this book will always have a special place in my heart!
Profile Image for Rachel Stephens.
28 reviews17 followers
August 7, 2012
I grew up reading this at my grandparents' house. Awesome story about an entitled panda that thinks he can steal everybody's stuff, keep money for himself and then partake of the stolen goods. Maybe this book is the reason I'm so fiscally conservative/libertarian.
Profile Image for Talea.
859 reviews8 followers
August 27, 2017
This was one of my childhood favorite books and am glad to see my youngest enjoying it also. My daughter enjoys the illustrations of mama making the cake. She also seems to enjoy that the youngest panda got a slice of cake while the older sibling, who'd acted less than honorable, did not.
Profile Image for Mikayla.
77 reviews
November 26, 2016
I grew up having this book read to me, I absolutely loved it. The little panda learns the consequences of stealing the ingredients from other places instead of using the money his mother gave him for the store. His misses out on the special cake because he used the money for the fair instead.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for Linda Manley.
98 reviews1 follower
January 24, 2017
This was the favorite book of my youngest daughter a delightful tale of a mother making a very special cake for her beloved panda! I would guess this book was read hundreds of times before my little one could read!
2 reviews
November 6, 2008
this was my favorite book as a child. I love it, and my daughter loves it just as much.
Profile Image for Brittany.
104 reviews
February 8, 2011
I love this book! We had it when I was a kid and I now read it to my own children. This is definately one of the classics.
Profile Image for Rhonda.
23 reviews
March 7, 2016
one of the favorite children books in our home. My children are reading this to their children.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 30 reviews

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