I Thought I Saw A Panda! – Lydia Nichols, Templar Books, an imprint of Candlewick Press, 9781536215434, 2020
I Thought I Saw A Crocodile! – Lydia Nichols, Templar Books, an imprint of Candlewick Press, 9781536215427, 2020
Format: Board Book
Rating: 1-5 (5 is an excellent or a Starred review) 5
Genre: Picture Books
What did you like about the book? Both of these books by Lydia Nichols are perfect for very young children. They feature bright colors, simple text, and gliding sections to reveal hidden pictures. In the book I Thought I Saw A Panda!, children can explore the grounds of a fair searching for a panda in all kinds of hidden places–behind balloons, on a slide, behind some games, in a fun house, and even riding the bumper cars. The book I Thought I Saw A Crocodile!, takes place entirely on a construction site. Crocodile stays hidden behind a wrecking ball, pipes, inside a dump truck, behind a brick wall, and even while operating a bulldozer.
What I really like about both of these books is that, instead of a lift-the-flap, these have sturdy glide features to reveal the hidden panda or crocodile. This can easily be manipulated by very young children. What is also fun for young children is that part of the animal can be seen even before they move the glide, so this makes it almost like a seek-and-find. The pages are also extremely thick, so this is a perfect book to actually let little ones hold and manipulate without worrying about damaging the book.
Anything you did not like about the book. Nothing
To whom would you recommend this book? This book is perfect for children ages infant to three years old. The bright colors and manipulation features will be very appealing to this young age group.
Who should buy this book? Public libraries, preschools, daycare centers, anyone who works with children under the age of three years old.
Where would you shelve it? Board Book section
Should we (librarians) put this on the top of our “to read” piles? Yes, both books are extremely sturdy (individual pages and the glide feature), so they will withstand repeated library use.
Reviewer’s Name, Library (or school), City: Kristin Guay, former youth services librarian.
Date of review: December 4, 2020
Youth Services Book Review 
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