JUST A BANANA, by Barney Saltzberg, Workman Kids, April 15, 2025, Hardcover, $15.99 (ages 4-8)
Is a banana Just a Banana? Or is it? Find out in the newest offering from Barney Saltzberg, bestselling author of Beautiful Oops!
It’s just a banana…or is it? There’s nothing to see here—until you lift the flap to find that what at first looks like just a banana is actually a curious lizard, or a boat out at sea, or the horn of a unicorn, or…?
The narrator is on a mission to convince the reader that what they’re looking at really is just a banana…or is it? Every page of this book features what appears to be a plain old banana—until the reader lifts the flap to reveal a delightful illustration on every page that transforms the oblong yellow fruit into something new and unexpected. With a few well-placed squiggles, dots, and lines, Saltzberg cleverly reveals a banana turned into a silly smile, a clever mouse, a crescent moon in the night sky, and more! This book allows the reader’s imagination to run wild, encouraging kids to look at objects in a whole new way, while the text hilariously insists—it’s really (pinky promise!) just a banana! —Synopsis provided by Workman Kids
We’re huge fans of Beautiful Oops! at our house, so I was excited to get my hands on Just a Banana. I was not disappointed.
Just a Banana is deceptively simple. It’s full of humor and imagination. And it sparks creativity beyond the book, prompting kids to use their imaginations in real life. There are 10 lift-the-flaps that make it an interactive read. This book is lots of fun.
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