Zoey Abbott

A cute little story, mostly of pictures, that may capture kids who are inquisitive and can stretch their minds (or have their minds stretched) to think a little past what's on the page. Long story short: Dad is a great dad but all of a sudden he buys a fancy new banana that takes up all his attention, and suddenly life for Kiddo stinks. The kid inexplicably eats the banana(?!) --perhaps there was another way to make it go away? -- and with the banana now gone, Dad goes back to paying attention to Kiddo and being a great dad. So, maybe it's for parents to explain to their kids why they get distracted from being great parents. Or maybe it's for parents to explain to kids how not to get distracted from being great kids. Or maybe it's for us to all wonder why you'd destroy such a magical banana by eating it. I don't know. But, the book is interesting enough to read once or twice and it would be interesting enough to borrow from the library. To me it's not enough to purchase, but, maybe the bigger point went over all of our heads.
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Banana by Zoey Abbott is a sweet story about about the relationship between and a dad and his daughter until the dad gets distracted by a banana! Its pretty obvious what the banana represents and the story's message is clear that relationships are more important than the flashy distractions in our life. As an adult, the message is almost too in your face but I could see kids finding it funny. Full disclaimer - I haven't actually read this one to a child yet so its hard to say how it will go over. I also love the beautiful pencil crayon illustrations. Thank you to LibraryThing Early Reviewers and the publisher for a review copy of this book.… (meer)

BANANA is a sweet and clever book about a parent who isn't fully present and the child who does something about it. The unnamed narrator grows frustrated when her dad, formerly "the best at the pool," falls under the spell of a highly versatile banana. She not only takes action but helps Dad repair his mood and recover his focus.

I really loved the illustrations in this book: they're gentle, inclusive, and quite relatable. The story, though simple, is meaningful for both those reading aloud and those being read to. Chances are young people have experienced an adult's distraction with the latest "shiny" thing when their attention should be on the young person. The book's protagonist models a creative (albeit fanciful) response to Dad's distraction as well as affectionate nurturing when Dad "throws a bit of a tantrum." This interpersonal insight should prove valuable for people young and old alike.

If you're looking for a calm but topical picture book, check out BANANA. I can see it easily becoming a child's favourite story.… (meer)