Book excerpt: Panda lovers will love following a giant panda and her cub in this engaging Science Reader from Step into Reading. Full of incredible photos and panda facts! Readers will learn how one mother panda and her cub are being protected and raised in a Chinese panda reserve, which seeks to help this vulnerable species survive. In fact, ChiDa, the panda cub, is being prepared to be released into the wild--once she is old enough and has learned important life skills from her mom! Young readers will find themselves rooting for ChiDa while decoding the simple text and gaining confidence in their reading. This book's fascinating photographs of pandas and its array of panda facts will captivate young nonfiction lovers. Great for proficient or reluctant readers. Step 3 Readers feature engaging characters in easy-to-follow plots about popular topics, for children who are ready to read on their own.