Bananas! (Paperback)

by Jacqueline Farmer (Author), Page Eastburn O'Rourke (Illustrator)

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal
Grade 2-4-A great deal of interesting and accurate information about the ever-popular fruit is presented in blocks of text bordered by bamboo frames, set on white pages filled with illustrations. Primary-grade readers can learn how bananas grow, their many varieties (over 500), how they are shipped and stored, their history, animals that enjoy them, and their nutritional value. Simple recipes, such as one for making banana splits; jokes and riddles; and even a few amusing bits of trivia are appended. The tone is breezy, conversational, and cheerful, and the layout is lively. The cartoon illustrations are humorous, colorful, and explanatory, showing children and adults of many ethnic and cultural backgrounds and a few different historical periods. Farmer covers some of the same material as George Ancona's Bananas: From Manolo to Margie (Clarion, 1990), which focuses on the growing and shipping of bananas, but her book is broader in its coverage and aimed at younger readers.
Marian Drabkin, Richmond Public Library, CA
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Scientific American
You've heard of coffee-table books. Well, this is the perfect breakfast-table book. While you are munching your morning meal, pore over the pages of Bananas! and start your day with some surprising facts. Did you know that bananas don't grow on trees? The banana plant, which can reach 30 feet high in a single year, does not have a woody trunk. The plant is really the world's largest herb! This book discusses many aspects of the banana, including its ancient history, how it grows and how it was displayed as a curiosity at the U.S. Centennial Exhibition in 1876 (where Alexander Graham Bell introduced the telephone). Don't forget to enjoy a banana as you read¾Americans eat an average of 28 pounds a year per person, so you'll want to get started on your share.

Joan Silberlicht Epstein

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 4-8
  
• Paperback: 32 pages
• Publisher: Charlesbridge Publishing; illustrated edition edition (August 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0881061158
• ISBN-13: 978-0881061154
• Product Dimensions: 10.9 x 8.5 x 0.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #307,689 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars Bananas Rule!, November 1, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Bananas! (Hardcover)

What a nice book! There's something for everyone regarding that favorite fruit: history, biology, economics, ecology, fun facts, and even jokes and recipes! Both text and illustrations are great fun. My only quibble is with the age designation of 4-8 years. I think 4-12 would actually be more appropriate. The little ones especially love bananas, which is probably why the suggested age range, but the vocabulary is definitely for older kids. On the very first page, for example, the words intriguing, annually, extraordinary, unique, cultivated, and nutritious are used. Not quite preschool stuff! But with a parent to interpret and paraphrase, the younger set--along with the older--should certainly eat this book up!