Cindy and Panda

Child baker Cindy likes “to do things her own way,” but friendship encourages her to embrace flexibility in this winsome tale. On an excursion to pick rhubarb from the garden, Cindy, who cues as East Asian, meets Panda. The two become fast friends; a montage shows the duo playing dress-up, having a tea party, climbing a tree, and more. The fun continues when the purple and white animalian “sous-chef” joins Cindy in the kitchen, where the creature’s natural inclination to “Chomp! Munch! Slurp!” results in a missing ingredient and some “sour” feelings (and luckily no consequences connected with rhubarb’s notoriously toxic leaves). The predictability of the pair’s eventual reconciliation makes it no less sweet, especially given the lively, Calvin and Hobbes–like exuberance in Shum’s watercolor and ink scenes. A pie recipe concludes. Ages 4–8. (May)