Cheryl Bardoe

Two nations and a mother panda work together to nurture a “precious treasure” in the remarkable true story of a celebrity panda cub.

In August 2015, zookeepers at the Smithsonian National Zoo in Washington, DC, were thrilled to spot a tiny shadow on an ultrasound. For a species as rare as the giant panda, every new cub is cause for celebration. Within days a newborn appeared, weighing in at just one third of a pound. While panda mother Mei Xiang cradled her vulnerable infant, zookeepers monitored the pair day and night through den cameras, and some two million viewers logged on to the zoo website. Named Bei Bei, which means "precious treasure," the cub captured hearts all over the world. But pandas in zoos are considered emissaries from the People’s Republic of China, the only country where they live in the wild. Four years after his birth in America, Bei Bei would embark on an important new mission.

Graphically arresting, packed with stunning full-color photographs, and vetted by the Smithsonian National Zoo, Bei Bei Goes Home paints a vivid picture of global conservation efforts—and international collaboration—in the guise of an ever-popular and beloved black-and-white ambassador.