B Is for Bananas

by Carrie Tillotson, Estrela Lourenço (Illustrator)

Overview

*"A must-have for all picture book collections." —School Library Journal (starred review)

"An a-peeling alphabet adventure."— Kirkus reviews

A 2023 Good Housekeeping Kids' Book Award winner!

From the creators of Counting to Bananas, comes a new, hilarious bedtime ABC book about a Banana who doesn’t want to go to bed. Perfect for fans of Jory John, Mo Willems, and Ryan T. Higgins!

A is for Awake . . . but B is for Bedtime.

When the narrator of this alphabet book tries to make it a bedtime book, Banana objects. Bedtime is BORING! And Banana is the star of this book, so it should really be called B Is for Bananas instead. It shouldn't be about bedtime at all.

Journey through all the letters of the alphabet in this laugh-out-loud story from Carrie Tillotson and Estrela Lourenço about a banana who is NOT ready to go to bed.

The perfect next read for those who loved the Bad Seed series and Hey Bruce by Ryan T. Higgins!

Praise for B is for Bananas!:

*“Excellent…A silly story that makes you giggle.” – Imagination Soup, starred review

"Full of wordplay and unusual choices to represent each letter of the alphabet ("K is for Keister"), this book stands out for being simultaneously silly and educational."—Good Housekeeping

“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

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780593528068
Publisher:	Penguin Young Readers Group
Publication date:	04/11/2023
Pages:	32
Sales rank:	243,640
Product dimensions:	10.00(w) x 9.10(h) x 0.40(d)
Lexile:	AD350L (what's this?)
Age Range:	4 - 8 Years

About the Author

Before Carrie Tillotson started writing children’s books, she worked as a biostatistician. Her job involved counting a lot of numbers (but not many bananas). She is the author of Counting to Bananas. She lives in Oregon with her family, one dog, and two chickens. Although bananas are not her favorite fruit, she loves a warm slice of banana bread. You can visit Carrie online at carrietillotson.com or follow her on Twitter @carrietillotson and on Instagram @carrietillotson.

Estrela Lourenço is a Portuguese professional children’s book author and illustrator, and also a storyboard artist for animation. She has been living in Ireland since 2009, when she met her Irish partner and their dog, Chewie, who both made her fall in love with the country even more. Her favorite fruit is peaches, but she keeps getting bananas because they’re Chewie’s favorite! You can visit Estrela online at estrelalourenco.pt or follow her on Twitter @LourencoEstrela and on Instagram @estrela.lourenco.

Editorial Reviews

* "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

"Exuberant Banana has as much fun taking control of the alphabet as they did taking over counting. Lourenço returns with digitally created illustrations full of Banana’s bonkers energy and plenty of color. Speech balloons are used throughout as Banana argues with the narrator. Banana might end up tuckered out, but little listeners will probably be supercharged with giggles. An a-peeling alphabet adventure." —Kirkus reviews

*“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

"Full of wordplay and unusual choices to represent each letter of the alphabet ("K is for Keister"), this book stands out for being simultaneously silly and educational.
Tester Note: One reviewer compared the story to the work of another famous kid-lit creator. “The book feels very Mo Willems–esque with its conversational style,” she said."—Good Housekeeping

From the Publisher

★ 05/01/2023

PreS-K—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

School Library Journal

2023-01-12
This anthropomorphic banana is NOT ready for bed.

The protagonist of Counting to Bananas (2022) returns to explore the alphabet. “A is for awake,” announces the narrator. “B is for bedtime.” But our hero wants B to be for banana; the narrator points out that this is a bedtime book. Banana is not having any of that and suggests that C should be for Banana (Captain Banana the pirate, that is). Still, Banana bathes (“D is for Dirty”), uses the potty (“G is for Going”), and brushes their teeth (“I is for Incisors”)…but when the narrator announces “L is for Listening,” Banana has finally had enough and takes over, pencil in hand, and crosses out all the bedtime words, replaces them with more playful fare, and acts each out in Banana-edited illustrations. Q isn’t for quiet but quarterback. R isn’t for relax but robot. Humoring Banana, the narrator announces that “S is for Scary,” as in stories. Banana backs down, frightened, and the bedtime words return and end with one “zonked” Banana. Exuberant Banana has as much fun taking control of the alphabet as they did taking over counting. Lourenço returns with digitally created illustrations full of Banana’s bonkers energy and plenty of color. Speech balloons are used throughout as Banana argues with the narrator. Banana might end up tuckered out, but little listeners will probably be supercharged with giggles. (This book was reviewed digitally.)

An a-peeling alphabet adventure. (Picture book. 2-5)

Kirkus Reviews