I am not sure when I found the magnet of a kid (it was at least a year or two ago), in a dinosaur suit and eating bananas, on my desk. The coworker who left it said it reminded her of me. I wasn’t insulted, I knew she meant it as a compliment, but she did clarify it was a good thing. I also felt it was perfect for me as my middle nephew used to (maybe still does, he hasn’t said) love bananas (and he at least once informed me that “bananas are good for us monkeys”). So, when I recently found a copy of Benny the Bananasaurus Rex by Sarabeth Holden and Emma Pedersen I knew it was a must get from my grandniece (the banana eating monkey’s daughter).
It’s a cute story, but maybe not as cute as the background story I have, but it is fun. The kid in the story loves bananas. They eat them all the time. And in fact, they eat so many of them, their family tells them they will turn into a banana. And what happens next is no surprise to the adult reader, but the kids will get a kick out of what happens. Of course, it is all in the young child’s mind, as their imagination is as great as their love of bananas.
The illustrations are also big. They are soft, bright colors. There are medium details to the illustrations, while supporting the story. Overall, everything is just fun. Maybe not WOW but I think it could become a family favorite. It also honors the Indigenous Peoples of Turtle Island with language used and overall look of things.