Boy Who Loved Bananas, The - Hardcover

Andrej Krystoforski was born in Poland. He has worked as a production designer and as an animator. In addition to illustrating the Jungle of Utt books and The Boy Who Loved Bananas, he has also contributed illustrations to many magazines and newspapers. Andrej lives in Toronto, Ontario.

PreSchool-Grade 2–When young Matthew visits the zoo, he sees monkeys that are crazy about bananas and decides to eat nothing but bananas and banana products, much to the dismay of his concerned parents. After consuming massive quantities of the fruit, he develops an itch and morphs into a monkey. All of the specialists his parents send him to conclude the same thing: Matthew "will stop being a monkey when he wants to stop being a monkey." Soon his classmates and even his principal are in on the act, devouring bananas with the hope that they, too, might experience a transformation. Then, Matthew revisits the zoo and discovers a new favorite animal: a peanut-eating elephant. Krystoforski's pen-and-watercolor illustrations amplify the silliness of the story with colorful cartoon-style characters and amusing background details. Elliott's straightforward text with its repetitive elements makes this an upbeat and child-pleasing choice, especially for read-alouds. Young audiences will be immensely satisfied with the final double-page illustration and its wordless conclusion.– Carol L. MacKay, Camrose Public Library, Alberta, Canada
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