Piranhas Don't Eat Bananas, by Aaron Blabey

We don’t eat apples!
We don’t eat beans!
We don’t eat veggies!
We don’t eat greens!
We don’t eat melons!
We don’t eat bananas!
And the reason is simple, mate.
We are
PIRANAHAS!

Brian loves bananas, and he’d like his friends to like them, too. The problem is – they are piranhas, and they’d prefer to eat knees, feet and even bums. But Brian persists – offering them all kinds of fruit and vegetable treats. Eventually his friends agree to try a fruit platter if he’ll stop his chatter. They do give it a try but, to Brian’s chagrin, even though they do think the fruit is nice, they still prefer bum.

Piranhas Don’t Eat Bananas is a short, silly book which kids will adore. The text consists of dialogue between Brian and the other piranhas, with narration not needed. Blabey’s ability to show so much animation in the faces of the fish – largely through movement of their eyes – is amazing.

The rhyming text flows well and there will be giggles at the concept and its execution. Very clever.

Piranhas Don’t Eat Bananas, by Aaron Blabey
Scholastic, 2015
ISBN 9781743625781

All Monkeys Love Bananas, by Sean E Avery

Lou McGrew is sick of bananas. He’s had his fill and can’t face the thought of one more banana – so he runs away. When he meets up with his rabbit friend Sue Hoploo she, too, is hiding from dinner – carrots

Monkeys eat bananas –
EVERY meal,
EVERY day.
For BREAKFAST, for DINNER,
for SNACKS and for LUNCH.
They all crave bananas,
MUNCH
MUNCH
MUNCH!
Well, MOST monkeys do…

Lou McGrew is sick of bananas. He’s had his fill and can’t face the thought of one more banana – so he runs away. When he meets up with his rabbit friend Sue Hoploo she, too, is hiding from dinner – carrots. The pair have a brilliant idea – they’ll swap food. But, when they do they both realise that they prefer their own food.

This humorous ‘greener grass’ tale is a visual delight. From front of book felted embellishments (kids and adults alike will love stroking the monkeys) through to a gorgeous blue spotted monkey and splotchy purple rabbit against black ink landscapes and, of course the yellows and oranges of the food, the whole books is gorgeous to view. Added to that is the humorous rhyming text and a simply silly story which will make youngsters giggle.

This is Sean E Avery‘s first picture book , but it is unlikely to be this talented youngster’s last.

All Monkeys Love Bananas

All Monkeys Love Bananas, by Sean E. Avery
Fremantle Press, 2012
ISBN 978192188873

This book is available i good bookstores, or online from Fishpond. Buying through this link supports Aussiereviews.