Panda-monium reigns at special library event

KENT — Pandas seem to be all the rage this summer with new movies and books coming out at every turn. The Kent Memorial Library also seems to be jumping on this band wagon, by hosting a Panda Day for Kent youngsters on Saturday, June 7.

The morning featured books about Chinese history and Japanese pandas as well as crafts made by the children to help them learn about Asian culture and stories.

Junior Room librarian Sarah Marshall led the children in attendance through the magical world of China by beginning with the true story of “Ma Jiang and the Orange Ants,� written by Barbara Ann Porte and illustrated by Annie Cannon.

Cannon’s use of bright colors and detail in her drawings make the character of Ma Jiang seem to jump off the page — and emphasizes the bright orange of the biting ants.

The children listened intently as Marshall read the story about the Fiang Family and the tradition of using Orange Ants to guard the orange fields.

Ma Fiang, the little girl and focus of the tale, tells how her brothers gather the fierce, biting, orange ants that are prized by orange growers to keep pests away, who try to devour the fruit. The men in the family are called to war by the Chinese emperor and the rest of the now small family must stick together and find a way to survive. The youngsters seemed astounded when Marshall explained that this practice of using orange ants has been around for more than 2,000 years.

The children then clamored for more panda stories, including “Zen’s Shorts,â€� by Jon J. Muth; and the story of a giant panda named “Stillwater,â€� who finds himself on the front lawn of the home of three siblings.  

One by one, the children visit Stillwater, enjoying his company and listening to him tell a brief tale that illustrates a Zen principle.

Each time, there is a link between the conversation shared by Stillwater and his visitor and the story he tells.

The tales invite the children to consider the world and their perceptions from a different angle.

Throughout the day, Marshall was able to involve the children, who ranged in age from toddlers to kindergarten-age, by asking them questions about the stories they read and what they learned. When the stories were over, the youngsters were able to put their own imaginations to work by making dragon boats out of construction paper, after learning about the Chinese New Year.