Xander wants to have a Panda Party at the zoo where he lives. But he's the only panda there so he invites all the bears to a "bear affair" instead. Then Koala informs him that she's actually a marsupial. "Marsupials-we're rather rare. Will I not be welcome there?" Xander tries again, this time promising a "hearty party" for all the mammals at the zoo. But Rhinoceros refuses to come without his oxpecker bird. So Xander invites mammals and birds. Crocodile chimes in: "Birds and reptiles-long ago, we were related, don't you know? If you didn't, now you do. Can't the reptiles join in too?" Finally, Xander's friend Amanda Salamander comes up with the perfect solution in this playful picture book that cleverly integrates a little bit of science into its masterful rhyming text. Whimsical illustrations are the perfect accompaniment to the narrative, while the author's note provides additional information about the various animals in the story. (Ages 3-8)

Xander planned a panda party. Yes, a dandy whoop-de-do!
But Xander was the only panda. Just one panda at the zoo.

The zoo's paucity of pandas doesn't impede Xander's party planning for long. He decides to invite all the bears. But Koala protests. She's not a bear--she's a marsupial! Does that mean she can't come? Xander rethinks his decision to invite only bears, and "Calling all bears" evolves into "Calling all creatures." The Newbery Medal author Linda Sue Park introduces animal taxonomy in a wonderfully engaging way, and the celebrated artist Matt Phelan's charming ink and watercolor paintings are the icing on the cake. A read-aloud whoop-de-do!