How much emotion can you invest in the word "banana"? A lot. In this nearly wordless book, a googly-eyed, ropy-tailed, ebullient brown monkey in a red and white striped shirt pursues a monkey in a blue and white shirt, who is tossing a banana in the air. "Banana!" the first monkey shouts, while the other one holds the fruit covetously. The banana-deprived monkey demands, has a tantrum, cries piteously, and finally says, "Please," (the only word, other than the oft-repeated cry of "Banana!" in the text) before he gets to share that tantalizing piece of fruit. Drawn against super-bright monochrome backgrounds, the figures of the two monkeys look like they've been outlined by a toddler wielding an oversized black marker.
THEMES: ANIMALS. BEHAVIOR. EASY READERS. FOOD.
- With big, bold spreads and only two words ("Banana" and "Please"), Vere's (The Getaway) story about sharing packs impressive graphic force.
- Publishers Weekly