The Panda's Paper Lantern

In a green forest filled with swaying bamboo, a round panda named Bao wears a little red scarf and carries a woven basket. Festivals are his greatest joy, so one morning he decides to plan a lantern festival for all his forest friends, sure that everyone will enjoy the lights. He collects paper, string and tiny candles, then makes lanterns in red, yellow and gold and hangs them on low branches and bushes so they glow like small suns.

Bao's friend Mei, a red panda in a green leaf hat, lives high in the tallest tree, where she can see only the tops of the lanterns and the leaves hide their glow. Wanting everyone to be happy, the two friends work together to invent a lantern open at both ends, so its candle shines upward like a star and downward like a firefly. All afternoon they fold paper and tie string, and soon a rabbit, a squirrel and a hedgehog join in. This gentle tale by Çınar BİBER, readable on Masalcı Baba, shows how a celebration can change so nobody is left out.