B Is for Bananas

Banana might end up tuckered out, but little listeners will probably be supercharged with giggles. An a-peeling alphabet adventure.

This is the toddler book of all toddler books, and one to leave preschoolers squealing. Laughter will be the name of the game every time this book is read; it is hilarious! A little banana is supposed to be ready for bed, but getting ready is the last thing on the menu. Written as an alphabet book, the narration is often co-opted by the little banana. "J is for jammies" is instantly corrected to its retort: "J is for jumping! Look—banana splits!" The banana is literally jumping around the page and doing the splits. Every page depicts a solid eye-appealing background color with banana in action around the featured letter. The banana speaks with speech bubbles while the adult's words are written in an oval elsewhere on the page. The sarcasm is easy to recognize and even the littlest child will understand the game. Most pages feature only one black capital letter and a word that has something to do with settling down and going to bed. There are also reminders of things to do prior to sleep like taking a bath, brushing teeth, "going" and washing hands after. Children will be worn out by this. VERDICT A must-have for all picture book collections, paired with an even more soothing title afterward.—Tracy Cronce

Copyright 2023 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

* "This is the toddler book of all toddler books, and one to leave preschoolers squealing. Laughter will be the name of the game every time this book is read; it is hilarious! A little banana is supposed to be ready for bed, but getting ready is the last thing on the menu. Written as an alphabet book, the narration is often co-opted by the little banana. There are also reminders of things to do ­prior to sleep like taking a bath, brushing teeth, "going" and washing hands after. Children will be worn out by this. A must-have for all picture book collections." -School Library Journal, starred review

*"Excellent...A silly story that makes you giggle...[Banana shows] his wide-awakeness, creativity, and energy!" - Imagination Soup, starred review

"[Filled] with hilarious antics by a banana, my son and I were laughing throughout...This book would make a lovely gift for a newborn bundle or in an elementary classroom to reinforce the alphabet, learn about some figurative language or just have some laughs!" - Story Mamas

"Hilarious from beginning to end!" - Picture Book Recommendations

"This is absolutely the CUTEST book!! I loved seeing all of the silly antics as Banana fights against going to bed (while working through the alphabet). The hilarious story by Carrie Tillotson and bright, fun illustrations by Estrela Lourenço make this a perfect bedtime read for both parents and kids! I laughed out loud more than once and so did my kids!...I highly recommend." - Pie Lady Books

"Wonderfully drawn...A perfect ending to a just-about-perfect bedtime-but-not-really-bedtime tale...Exceptionally good...A wonderful send-up of a bedtime book." - Infodad.com

"Young readers will love this laugh out loud bedtime story where Banana's silly antics take center stage through all the letters of the alphabet. The amazing illustrations bring Banana, and bedtime fun, to life." - Kidsbookshelf.com

"From the illustrations to Banana's antics, this was not only edutainment fun, but the promised bedtime story as well... Readers of all ages will love how the story develops, while having a little bit of ABC fun along the way...You've got the brilliantly colored and funny illustrations to dazzle the eyes. It's charming, and witty, and a great time to be had." - Insatiable Readers Blog