Winner of the 2024 English 4-11 Picture Book Awards, 7-11 category.

In a faraway forest a baby is lost and found, protected by a she-panda.

Nine years later another baby, the panda’s child, is in great danger, and only a boy and the spirit of the forest can save him.

This magical, powerful story by Jackie Morris, co-creator of The Lost Words, and award-winning illustrator Cathy Fisher, is a book for all ages to treasure, exploring our most vital connection with wild nature.

‘A lost baby is nurtured by a panda; nine years later, the boy saves the panda’s baby in turn, helped by the fierce, indomitable spirit of the forest. This handsome, oversized fable for 5+ readers (and listeners) is full of Fisher’s leafy, lush, involving landscapes, and Morris’s characteristic sense of the vital connection between human and animal worlds.’ — Imogen Russell Williams, The Guardian

‘A panda protects a baby who has been separated from his mother, and several years later that same child rescues the panda’s baby, who has been stolen by a band of men who want to present it to Emperor Alexander. Morris’ powerful reminder to respect the wild is brought to life by Fisher’s gorgeous artwork, which makes the beauty of the natural world leap off the page. Simply stunning.’ — The Bookseller