Banana Beer [Library Binding]

Carol Carrick (Author), Margot Apple (Illustrator)

Book Description

Age Level: 5 and up

Charlie the orangutan's life is adversely affected by his father's addiction.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Kindergarten-Grade 3?Charlie's father drinks too much. His parents are quarrelsome and irritable, and Charlie begins to blame himself: "Maybe Dad wouldn't drink so much if I was a better boy." One day his frustration over his troubled home life flares up and he confides in his kindly teacher. Later, he eats dinner with a friend and her loving family and wishes he could stay with them. When his father picks him up, though, he knows that his dad loves him. He continues to hope that things will return to the way they were before the drinking became such a problem. A final note explains that many families suffer from similar situations and that there are support groups for them. The complex issues of alcoholism and its effects on the abuser's loved ones are thoughtfully handled, and Carrick does a fine job of presenting Charlie's feelings. Apple's lively, colored-pencil drawings of the anthropomorphic orangutan characters balance out the poignancy of the text. Although it can be read independently, the book is better suited to sharing with adults as it's sure to prompt questions and discussion.?Marilyn Taniguchi, Santa Monica Public Library, CA
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 5 and up
  
• Library Binding: 1 pages
• Publisher: Concept Books (March 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0807505684
• ISBN-13: 978-0807505687
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 8.1 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,380,356 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Realistic despite the talking animals, December 11, 2005

By 

Maria Beadnell "gotlips" (NY United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Banana Beer (Library Binding)

It must have been difficult to write a book on alcoholism for the picture-book age.

So often, books of this type fail for one of two reasons: either they are too pat, with an unrealistically happy ending, or they are way too wordy.

In a family of monkeys,Carrick somehow manages to convey the brutal sorrow of an alcoholic home at a level that could be used with 4 year olds.

Warning! Not a fun book and not a book to just leave the child to discover him or her self, but a very useful tool for anyone trying to help a child whose family has this problem.