My Dog Banana

by Roxane Brouillard, Giulia Sagramola (Illustrator)

Overview

This silly yet sophisticated picture book will make kids AND parents laugh—the perfect story for reading aloud!

For fans of Strictly No Elephants

A child takes a dog for a walk. At least, so the child insists. But nobody else sees a dog! Neighbors try to figure out why a child is walking a banana on a leash, while the child tries to make them understand that the banana is really a dog. A dog named Banana!

But…it can’t be. Can it?

My Dog Banana is a jewel of absurdity that brings to life a diverse group of characters, filled with classic charm and endless humour.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781771647939
Publisher:	Greystone Books
Publication date:	09/21/2021
Pages:	40
Product dimensions:	7.70(w) x 9.00(h) x 0.50(d)
Lexile:	AD360L (what's this?)
Age Range:	4 - 8 Years

About the Author

Roxane Brouillard divides her time between writing and working in a library. My Dog Banana is her first book. She lives in Saint-Hyacinthe, Québec.

Giulia Sagramola is an illustrator, cartoonist, and designer with a love for everything related to dogs, comics, and Japanese pop culture. She divides her time between Barcelona, Spain, and Bologna, Italy. My Dog Banana is her first picture book.

Editorial Reviews

07/12/2021

A dog called Banana draws a crowd in Brouillard’s droll dual debut in translation. Wordlessly and humorously, the story opens with a black-haired, white-skinned child holding a leash—at its end is what appears to be a banana. “That’s not a dog,” a passerby shouts. “Open your eyes! Clearly she’s a dog,” the child retorts. Page by page, a crowd grows, questioning, jeering, and teasing. Accompanied by a shih tzu, a person in a shaggy coat comments on Banana’s hairlessness. When another bystander asks to see some tricks, Banana—“a three-time gold medalist at the World Dog Competition” —obliges with a game of fetch so quick it’s beyond visual perception. When another child mockingly introduces a “cat-pear,” Banana’s human disdainfully declares the crowd to be ignorant and “ridiculous.” “HA”s fill the page as the misunderstood duo depart, but a final scene that leaves the disbelievers slack-jawed will have readers wondering who was making a mockery of whom. With clean lines and cool colors, Sagramola’s spare illustrations have a mid-century modern aesthetic that’s a fitting partner to the playful story’s simple dialogue and timeless humor. Ages 4–8. (Sept.)

Publishers Weekly

Young readers will laugh in amazement and delight … Imaginative, surprising fun.”
—Kirkus Reviews

“With clean lines and cool colors, Sagramola’s spare illustrations have a mid-century modern aesthetic that’s a fitting partner to the playful story’s simple dialogue and timeless humor.”
—Publishers Weekly

“A wonderful story encouraging people to get outside of their rigid views of what something should look like and open their imaginations….perfect for a 3-year-old with a budding imagination.”
—Youth Services Book Review

“Roxane Brouillard's hilarious tale of a boy taking his ‘dog’ for a walk will have you chuckling. When Banana is out and about, no one takes him seriously. With sweet illustrations from Giulia Sagramola, this book will have you questioning whether or not a banana really can bark.”
—Red Tricycle

“What a fun book! … will make readers and listeners laugh out loud.”
—What Is Bridget Reading?

“The cover instantly grabbed my attention … how often have you seen a boy walking a banana on a leash? This light-hearted sweet story, with an assortment of diverse characters, will bring laughter to the reader and allow them to question what is real and not real. Did Banana really Woof? Only your imagination can answer that question..”
—Good Reads with Ronna

From the Publisher

2021-07-27
A child walking a pet on a leash evokes strong reactions from passersby in this French Canadian import.

People on the street repeatedly point to a banana at the end of the leash, but the child insists that it is, in fact, a dog, exhorting them to see clearly and answering every comment they make. Banana’s yellow color indicates a very rare breed. She’s too exhausted to move and is well trained not to bark. She’s so upset over their comments that she just might bite them if they pet her. She fetches a ball so quickly that no one can see it happen. Annoyed at their laughter and disrespect, the child and Banana walk away in a huff. And then the onlookers are astonished by an incredible surprise twist, perhaps reminded about making snap judgments. Brief, staccato, often highly charged statements are attributed to the child or the commenters via slanted black lines drawn from the characters to their dialogue. Heavy, black-lined heads, faces, and legs form Sagramola’s seemingly simple, retro cartoon characters, while their clothed bodies are softly hued blocks of color. The pet owner is of unspecified gender and presents White. The crowd members are of varied gender, racial presentation, age, and color, with facial expressions and body language indicating their escalating reactions to the strange episode. Young readers will laugh in amazement and delight in that unanticipated conclusion.

Imaginative, surprising fun. (Picture book. 4-8)

Kirkus Reviews