Review Detail

Just a Banana

Kids Fiction 249

A different perspective on bananas

January 02, 2026 (Updated: June 03, 2026)

Overall rating

4.0

Plot

4.0

Characters

4.0

Writing Style

4.0

Illustrations/Photos (if applicable)

4.0

This slightly larger board book (7" x 7") has an additional draw-- fold out flaps! Starting with the premise that "This is a banana", with a photo of the fruit on a plain background, the fold out flaps show simple line drawings that turn the object into something else entirely. The banana is also a smile, a canoe, a mouse, a fish, and many other things. The text changes a bit, asking more questions about whether or not this is REALLY a banana, and we even see peeled bananas turning into a unicorn and Squid. At the end, a monkey ponders a peeled banana before eating it, because it IS "just a banana". But is the empty peel just a peel?

Good Points

Young readers will love the silly surprises on each page, and I can definitely see them taking this idea and running with it themselves. I can't explain why it is so enthralling to have pages open up, down, and sideways, but that seems to be part of the "appeal" as well. This might take a little maneuvering to read with a little one on one's lap, since the fold outs make the book a bit large, although I haven't tried this with an actual child. Be prepared to have bananas on hand to model for the drawings.

This reminded me quite a bit of I Want to Read All the Books author Debbie Ridpath Ohi's social media drawings, where she will take broken crayons or found objects and have pictures emerge from them. This is a fun, interactive book to read to fans of Hill and Wiseman's When Your Lion Needs a Bath, Cutler's The Crayon Stub, or Jory and Oswald's The Big Cheese. It would also be a good companion to drawing books like the classic Ed Emberley's Complete Funprint Drawing Book. Just don't use your banana as a crayon!