Giant panda fans, this one is for you. Dr. Brandie Smith, the director of the Smithsonian’s National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute, is opening the panda house door like never before with her new book, In the Company of Pandas: My Life with the World’s Favorite Bear.
Published by Atria Books, the memoir takes readers behind the scenes of caring for three generations of Washington’s beloved panda cele-bear-ities, revealing their distinct personalities, quirks, and habits. With humor and candor, Smith clears up common misconceptions, makes the fascinating science of panda breeding and biology wonderfully accessible, and shows what it truly takes to protect these extraordinary animals.
From raising tiny panda cubs to navigating the diplomacy that brings pandas from China to Washington, D.C., she reveals how science, international collaboration, and devoted animal care have changed the future of giant pandas. The best part? Proceeds from the book support the Zoo’s giant panda conservation program.
The book goes on sale Tuesday, Nov. 10, in hardcover ($30), eBook, and audiobook formats, and is available for preorder now. Smith will celebrate publication day with a ticketed book talk at the National Zoo; tickets are $10, and anyone who prepurchases the book receives an autographed copy at the event.
Photo: Skip Brown, Smithsonian’s National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute (via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0).
