Panda Stories for Kids

In a misty green forest where bamboo grew tall as houses, lived a little panda named Bao. Bao was small and round and very hungry. Every morning she ran to the bamboo grove and grabbed the first stalk she saw. But the first stalk was always tough, and the leaves were always bitter. Bao would chew and chew and make a sour face. 'I want the sweet bamboo now,' she grumbled. 'Patience, little one,' said her mother. 'The best bamboo is the one that has grown just enough. You cannot rush it.' 'I do not want to wait,' Bao said. One day, an old panda named Grandfather Lin watched Bao chewing a tough stalk. 'Come with me,' he said. Grandfather Lin led Bao to a quiet corner of the grove. 'Look here,' he said. 'This stalk is still small. It needs more sun and more time. But if we wait, in a few days it will be the sweetest in the forest.' Bao wanted to grab it right away. But she remembered her mother's words, and she waited. She visited the stalk every day. She watched it grow taller and greener. She did not rush it. At last, Grandfather Lin said, 'Today it is ready.' Bao took a careful bite. Her eyes went wide. 'It is the sweetest bamboo I have ever tasted!' she said. 'Good things grow in their own time,' Grandfather Lin said. 'The waiting is part of the sweetness.' Bao nodded, her cheeks full. 'I think I like waiting,' she said, 'when I know something good is coming.' And from that day on, Bao was the most patient panda in the forest, and the happiest, because she had learned that the best things are worth the wait.

High on the misty mountain lived a panda named Mei Mei, and Mei Mei had found the biggest patch of bamboo in the whole forest. It was her secret spot, and she did not want to share it. 'This is my bamboo,' she told herself. 'All of it. Every last leaf.' But one cold morning, a thin little red panda wandered into the grove. His tummy was rumbling. 'Please,' said the red panda, 'may I have a little bamboo? I have not eaten in two days.' Mei Mei frowned. 'This is my bamboo,' she said. 'Find your own.' The red panda's ears drooped, and he turned to go. But as he walked away, Mei Mei noticed his thin legs and his sad little tail. Something in her chest felt heavy. 'Wait,' she called. 'I am sorry. There is more than enough here. Please, come and eat.' The red panda's eyes lit up. He sat down beside Mei Mei, and together they munched on the sweet bamboo. He told her stories about the far side of the mountain, and she laughed until her round belly shook. 'This is the best meal I have had in a long time,' he said. 'Thank you for sharing.' Mei Mei smiled. 'I was wrong to say it was all mine. Bamboo tastes better when you share it with a friend.' The next morning, the red panda came back, and this time he brought two more friends. Mei Mei welcomed them all. The grove was big, and there was always enough for everyone. 'Funny,' Mei Mei said, looking around at all her new friends. 'My patch did not get smaller when I shared it. It got fuller.'

Most pandas spend their days eating bamboo and rolling in the grass. But a little panda named Po wanted to do something different. He wanted to climb to the very top of the tallest tree. 'That is very high,' said his friend, a red squirrel named Chichi. 'Are you sure?' 'I am sure,' Po said, but his voice wobbled a little. Po put his paws on the tree trunk and began to climb. He climbed past the first branch, then the second. Halfway up, he looked down. The ground looked very far away, and his legs began to shake. 'I changed my mind,' Po whispered. 'I want to go back down.' 'You are doing so well,' Chichi called from below. 'Just one branch at a time. Do not look down. Look up.' Po took a deep breath. He looked up at the next branch and climbed. One branch, then another. His legs still shook, but he kept going. At last, Po reached the very top of the tree. He poked his head above the leaves and gasped. He could see the whole forest, the mist, the river, and all the bamboo stretching out below him. 'I did it!' he shouted. 'I really did it!' Chichi scrambled up and sat beside him. 'See?' she said. 'You were braver than you thought.' Po looked out at the view and smiled. 'The top was worth the climb,' he said. 'And I only had to look at one branch at a time.' When Po climbed down, he was still shaking, but he was grinning too. 'Tomorrow,' he said, 'I want to climb the next tallest tree.' Chichi laughed. 'One tree at a time, Po.'

The forest was wrapped in fog, so thick that Mei Ling the panda could not see her own paws. She had been playing near the stream when the mist rolled in, and now she did not know which way was home. 'Hello?' she called. 'Is anyone there?' Her voice echoed and faded. Mei Ling sat down on a rock, feeling very alone. She was not scared exactly, but her tummy felt tight. Just then, she heard a soft padding sound. Through the fog came a small shape, gray and fuzzy. 'Are you lost?' asked a gentle voice. It was a little rabbit named Yun. 'I cannot find my way home in the fog,' Mei Ling said. 'Everything looks the same.' 'Me too,' said Yun. 'I lost my way to the carrot patch. But maybe if we stay together, we will both feel braver.' 'Do you think so?' Mei Ling asked. 'I do,' Yun said. 'Two is always better than one.' So the panda and the rabbit set off together through the fog. Mei Ling held Yun's paw, and they walked slowly, calling out now and then. 'Does this path look familiar?' Yun asked. Mei Ling squinted through the mist. 'Wait,' she said. 'I know that twisted tree. My home is just past it!' They hurried forward, and sure enough, the fog began to thin, and there was Mei Ling's mother standing at the edge of the clearing, calling her name. 'Mama!' Mei Ling cried, and she ran to her. 'Thank you for keeping me company,' she said to Yun. 'I was not scared because you were with me.' 'And now I know my way home too,' Yun said, pointing. 'The carrot patch is just over that hill.' They promised to play together the next day, and the next. Because a fog is not so scary, and a walk is not so long, when you have a friend beside you.

In a forest full of pandas, there was one panda named Lin who was quieter than the rest. While the others played loud games, Lin liked to watch and listen. She noticed little things that no one else saw. She noticed that the old red panda's scarf had a hole in it. She noticed that the baby squirrel was afraid of the dark. She noticed that the grumpy old tortoise's favorite branch had fallen down. One by one, Lin did small, quiet things. She knitted a patch for the red panda's scarf and left it by his door. She carved a tiny glowing lantern out of a hollow gourd and hung it outside the baby squirrel's nest. She found a smooth, flat stone for the tortoise's door, and she mended his fallen branch with a vine. At first, nobody knew who was doing these kind things. The animals whispered and wondered. 'Who fixed my scarf?' asked the red panda. 'Who made this lovely light?' asked the baby squirrel. 'Who gave me this nice stone?' asked the tortoise. Lin just smiled and said nothing. Then one morning, the animals saw Lin leaving a fresh pile of sweet bamboo outside the old badger's den, and they finally understood. 'It was you all along,' they said, gathering around her. 'You have been looking after all of us.' 'I like doing quiet things for my friends,' Lin said softly. 'You do not need to shout to be kind.' The animals smiled. And from that day on, they all tried a little harder to notice the small things, because Lin had shown them that the quietest kindness can be the warmest of all.

Bao the panda loved to play all day long. He climbed up tall trees. He rolled down green hills. He chased his own round tail in a big circle. "Bao," called Mama, "it is nap time." "No naps," said Bao. "I am not tired at all." Bao kept playing. He ran and tumbled. He did not rest even once. He climbed one more tall tree and slid back down. He rolled down one more green hill. He played chase with a little bird that flapped away, laughing. Soon Bao felt slow and heavy. His legs felt heavy. His eyes felt small and sleepy. "I am still not tired," Bao said in a small voice. "Come sit with me," said Mama. "Just for a little while." Bao sat down next to Mama. She was warm and soft. He leaned on her side. "I will only close my eyes for one second," said Bao. Then Bao fell fast asleep. He took a long, deep nap under the big tree. When Bao woke up, he felt brand new. His legs were light. His eyes were wide. "Let us climb!" said Bao. Up the tall tree he went, quick and strong. "How do you feel now?" asked Mama. "Great!" said Bao. "Maybe a nap was a good idea after all." "A good rest helps you play your best," said Mama. "Even strong pandas need to rest." Bao nodded. "Tomorrow I will nap without a fuss." Mama smiled and pulled him close. "Tomorrow we will nap together, right here in the warm grass."

Ping the panda found the best bamboo stalk in the whole forest. It was tall and green and sweet. He carried it to his favorite rock to eat all by himself. Then Ping saw a small panda sitting alone. The small panda's tummy rumbled loud. "Are you hungry?" asked Ping. "Yes," said the small panda. "I could not find any bamboo today." Ping looked at his big, sweet stalk. It was all his. But the small panda looked so sad. Ping broke the stalk in two with one clean snap. Each half was still tall and green and sweet. He gave one half to the small panda. "Here," said Ping. "We can share." "Really?" said the small panda. "Thank you so much!" They sat on the rock and munched together. Crunch, crunch, crunch went their happy chewing. The bamboo tasted sweeter when they ate side by side. Lin smiled so wide his round cheeks puffed out like two soft pillows. "My name is Lin," said the small panda. "You are very kind." "I am Ping," said Ping. "I like eating with a friend better than eating alone." The next day, Lin came back with two red apples. "I found these," said Lin. "Let us share." Ping smiled wide. "Sharing goes both ways," he said. "It sure does," said Lin. "One kind turn brings another." From that day on, Ping and Lin shared everything. They shared bamboo and apples and the warmest, sunniest spot on the rock. They played and rolled and napped together. And neither panda ever felt lonely again.

Mei the panda lived high on a green mountain. Down below ran a wide, rushing river. Mei liked to look at it from far away, but she never went near the water. "My friends play by the river," Mei told her mother. "But I am too scared." "The river is big," said Mama. "But you can start small, one tiny step at a time. You do not have to cross it all today." One sunny day, Mei walked to the edge of the river. The water rushed and roared. Mei's legs began to shake. "I cannot do it," Mei whispered. Her friend Bo came over. "Just dip one paw in," said Bo. "I am right here with you." Mei took a tiny step, then another tiny step. She put one paw in the cool water. It felt cold and nice. The water swirled around her toes like a soft, cool hello. It was not scary at all. "That was not so bad," said Mei. She put in the other paw. The water tickled her toes and swirled around her feet. "Look at you!" said Bo. "You are in the river!" Mei laughed out loud. "I did it!" she said. "I was brave!" "You were," said Bo. "Being brave means trying even when you feel scared." Mei played by the river all afternoon. She splashed with her paws and laughed with her friends until the sun went low. She was still a little scared, but she did it anyway. And that made her the bravest panda on the whole mountain.

Momo the panda watched his friends climb the big tree. Up and up they went, fast as anything. Momo tried too, but he slid right back down to the ground. "I will never climb," Momo said. "It is too hard for me." "Try one more time," said Papa. "Every day, a little bit at a time." So Momo tried again. He grabbed the trunk with his paws. He pushed up with his feet. He got up a tiny bit, then slid down again. "One more time," said Papa softly. "You got a little higher that time. I could see it." Day after day, Momo tried. Some days he got a little higher. Some days he slid back down. But he did not stop. Each morning he came back to the big tree and tried again, a little stronger than the day before. He kept trying, and Papa kept cheering him on from the grass below. Then one morning, Momo reached for a branch and pulled himself up. He looked down. He was high in the tree! Higher than he had ever been before. "I did it!" Momo called down. "I can climb! Look at me!" "You practiced every day," said Papa. "Practice turns hard things into easy things." Momo climbed down and up again, smiling the whole way. He went higher than all his friends that day, all the way to the very top. His friends clapped and cheered from the ground below. The thing that was once too hard was now his favorite game in the whole forest.

Jun the panda loved to watch the big pandas roll down the hill. They tucked their arms in and rolled like big fluffy balls, all the way to the bottom. "Come roll with us!" the big pandas called up to him. Jun shook his head. "I have never rolled before. What if I bump into a tree?" "You will not," said a big panda named Wu. "And you will love it. Rolling is the best part of the hill." Jun stood at the top of the hill. He looked all the way down to the very bottom. His heart went fast. "What if I get dizzy?" he asked. "Then we will help you up," said Wu. "We are right here with you, and we will not let you fall." Jun took a deep breath. He tucked his arms in close. Then he let go. Down, down, down he rolled. The grass went whizzing by. The wind rushed past his ears. It felt like flying without leaving the ground. At the bottom, Jun popped right up. He wobbled a little and laughed out loud. His fur was full of grass, and he did not care one bit. "I did it!" said Jun. "That was so much fun! Can we do it again?" "Of course," said Wu. "Every hill is a brand new roll." Jun rolled down the hill again and again, faster and braver each time. Wu rolled right beside him, and they laughed all the way down together. The thing he was so scared of was now his favorite thing to do.

On the first snowy day, Lila the panda woke up alone. Her best friend Bo had gone to visit his grandma. The forest was white and very quiet. "Everything is so still," Lila said to herself. "This is no fun all by myself." She kicked the snow with her paw. She made a small snowball and tossed it. It landed with a soft puff and made no sound at all. Then Lila heard something. Crunch, crunch, crunch. A little red panda came walking up through the snow. "Hi," said the red panda. "I am Suki. Do you want to play?" "Yes!" said Lila. "I was feeling very lonely." Lila and Suki made a big snow panda. They rolled three snowballs and stacked them up, big, middle, and small. They patted the snow until it was smooth and round. They used twigs for arms and two dark stones for eyes. "It looks just like you," said Suki, laughing. "No, it looks just like you," said Lila. They both laughed until their bellies hurt. They slid down the hill on their bellies and caught snowflakes on their tongues. They threw soft snowballs and watched them puff into the snow. By the time the sun went down, Lila did not feel lonely at all. "Thank you for playing with me," said Lila. "Thank you for the snow panda," said Suki. "A friend makes a snowy day feel bright." "A friend makes any day feel bright," said Lila. And they promised to meet again tomorrow.

On a cold, rainy day, little Fan the panda sneezed. "Achoo!" The rain tapped on the big green leaves all day long. Mama put her paw on Fan's head. "You feel warm," she said. "Let me make you some soup." Mama cut fresh bamboo shoots and put them in a big pot. She added soft herbs from the hillside and stirred slowly. The pot bubbled and steamed, filling the air with a warm, sweet smell. "What can I do?" asked Fan. "You can rest," said Mama. "Your job right now is to get better." Fan watched Mama work from his soft bed of leaves. The kitchen smelled warm and sweet. It smelled like home. Soon the soup was ready, steaming in a big round bowl. Mama poured a bowl and blew on it so it was not too hot. "This is for you," said Mama. Fan took a small sip, then another. "It is the best soup ever," he said. "It warms my whole belly." The next day, Fan felt much better. He ran and played again. But he did not forget how Mama cared for him. So Fan picked fresh bamboo and put it in a little pot. He added herbs, just like Mama did. "Fan, what are you doing?" asked Mama. "I am making you soup," said Fan. "You took care of me. Now I want to take care of you." Mama smiled and hugged him tight. "That is the sweetest soup I ever saw." Being kind to family, Fan learned, is the warmest kind of love there is.