The Day the Teacher Went Bananas

by James Howe, Lillian Hoban (Illustrator)

A class's new teacher, who leads the children in a number of very popular activities, turns out to be a gorilla.

Genres: School, Picture Books, Childrens, Humor, Animals, Fantasy, Juvenile

32 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1984

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name. See this thread for more information.

James Howe has written more than eighty books in the thirty-plus years he's been writing for young readers. It sometimes confuses people that the author of the humorous Bunnicula series also wrote the dark young adult novel, The Watcher, or such beginning reader series as Pinky and Rex and the E.B. White Read Aloud Award-winning Houndsley and Catina and its sequels. But from the beginning of his career (which came about somewhat by accident after asking himself what kind of vampire a rabbit might make), he has been most interested in letting his imagination take him in whatever direction it cared to. So far, his imagination has led him to picture books, such as I Wish I Were a Butterfly and Brontorina (about a dinosaur who dreams of being a ballerina), mysteries, poetry (in the upcoming Addie on the Inside), and fiction that deals with issues that matter deeply to him. He is especially proud of The Misfits, which inspired national No Name-Calling Week (www.nonamecallingweek.org) and its sequel Totally Joe. He does not know where his imagination will take him in the next thirty-plus years, but he is looking forward to finding out.

Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name. See this thread for more information.

Reviews

[DivaDiane SM]

This is a funny book for adults. I'm not sure my 4 year old realizes how funny it is. I especially love the look on the Gorilla's face when the principal comes in and says, "There has been a terrible mistake. This isn't your new teacher, this is a gorilla!" Caught in the act of a strip tease, it's like he's saying, "What?!? I'm what?!?"

[Olive Rouleau]

The teacher doesn’t just go bananas, he also is a gorilla, and eats bananas!!!

[Regina Jackson]

Text-to-Teaching Connection:
This would be a great book to get students attention. I would use this book to see how students view teachers. I would ask them to come up with a "lesson plan" for the class. I would have them get in groups of 3 or 4 and have them come up with different ideas for the class to do like the teacher in the book did. Any idea they can come up with like coloring, reading, going outside, to name a few. This will give students a chance to play the teacher role.

[R.K. Cowles]

3 3/4 stars

[Rachael Fricke]

"The Day the Teacher Went Bananas" is a cute story about a young class of Elementary students who get a new teacher. Except there are a few things that aren't quite right about their new teacher. He teaches them to count on their toes, a new way to write, how to mold clay and use paint, and he ate sixteen bananas for lunch, strange. The kids are disappointed when they find out the gorilla isn't their new teacher and he has to go back to the zoo. When the new teacher arrives he is horrified to see what they had learned earlier that day. The next day instead of fighting the children they take a trip to the zoo to eat lunch with their favorite teacher. Kids will enjoy this story and it will certainly make them laugh. Easy enough for young readers to read independently.

[Tori Mastropietro]

This was such a fun and lighthearted book. I think that the most humorous part of the book is that the mixup between the monkey and the teacher even happened in the first place. How did the children not realize their teacher was a monkey! It was also funny to me how nonchalant everyone was about the mixup, as if it were no big deal. This is an exciting book for kids in school to read.

[Kristina]

my kids and I enjoyed reading this book. the story was cute and silly. I would recommend this book to others.

[Crystal (Books Are Sanity!!!)]

This is a cute story about a class of kids who accidentally get a gorilla for a new teacher.

[Anthony]

An unnamed character tells the events of what happened when a new teacher arrived at school, and class was conducted in a most interesting way.

[Suzanne Lorraine Kunz Williams]

Cute, fun book. Great for beginning readers.

[Books Kids Like]

One day a new teacher comes to class. The children don't know his name. He only talks in grunts. The teacher shows them how to count with their toes and write with both hands at once. For science class they climb trees and eat leaves. Art class is a great adventure, too. The new teacher eats 16 bananas for lunch. During music class, Mr. Hornsby, the principal, brings their real new teacher. The other teacher turns out to be a gorilla. Mr. Quackerbottom was late because he'd been sent to the zoo instead. When the children show Mr. Quackerbottom all they learned, he tells them they belong in a zoo, and that is exactly where they go the next day.
©2024 Kathy Maxwell at https://bookskidslike.com

[Carman]

When a new teacher shows up, the kids follow his lead without question. Later, they find the teacher is a gorilla and then he has to go back to the zoo. The children felt the gorilla was an awesome teacher so the next day the go have lunch with at the zoo. A cute story that illustrates how children are very open to new ideas. For pre-K to 2nd I would use this book for conversations about imaginary events vs real ones.

[Katie Nanney]

The book was funny. The idea that a teacher could be mixed up with a gorilla would make any child laugh. It would be a fun book for younger children to read. I might be able use the book as a read aloud to help the children practice predicting. Older children might not like it as much as younger ones, so maybe in kindergarten, I would use it as a read-aloud and older grades I would leave it on the shelves

[Andrea Flory]

This book is good for grades k-2. This book is good to have in a classroom because it is an easy read and very funny for children. It is also a good book to read in front of the class as a fun book to read. The genre is modern fantasy.

[Josiah]

This short picture book is surprisingly sweet and warm, as well as being very funny. James Howe takes us on an unforgettable mini-adventure and shows what happens when the new teacher at school is a bit...different than what the students expected. The results are funny and touching, another tribute to the immutable creative writing skills of James Howe.

[Belise Michel]

I like this story because it demonstrates to teachers not to be too stuffy or just might lose your class. I also like the book because it shows how an early childhood classroom setting should be. It's also great way to introduce centers in your classroom so that children can know that they can explore the environment.

[Amber]

I was looking through my books downstairs to do a realism vs. fantasy lesson plan with my 2nd graders and I found this book. I read this to them officially on Tuesday and I forgot how cute it was! The illustrations are cute and everything else like the story plot, and the dialog are cute!

[Jessica Bennett]

The teacher in this book is a gorilla until the principal realizes that he actually belongs in the zoo! This would be a great story to read on the first day of school to make the children laugh and relax.

[Rachel]

This book would be best for younger children;probably Kindergarten or younger. Kids will think it is funny but there really is no lesson from it. It is purely an entertainment book. I would not use this in the classroom.

[Dolly]

Interesting story about an unusual substitute teacher. Very creative illustrations and fun story for the kids.

[(NS) Heatherk]

I like this story because my teacher read it to our class in grade school. Not the best pictures, but silly word choice makes the read aloud much more engaging.

[Brittany]

This book is about a new teacher that got mixed up with a gorilla. I would read this book to my student as a fun read aloud.

[Misty]

Too cute! A gorilla as a teacher? This would be a great fun read aloud. The students get to do all kinds of crazy things because their new teacher was a gorilla! FUN!

[Angela]

I think kids will love this book. It is funny with great pictures. They will love the fact the kids in the story did not realize the substitute is a monkey. This book is pure entertainment.

[Taylor Johnson]

Great book for new readers becuase it is simple with not many words and is a fun book. Kids will love it because it is silly and the pictures help tell the story.

[Deborah Harris]

AR Quiz No. 16197 EN Fiction
Accelerated Reader Quiz Information IL: LG - BL: 1.8 - AR Pts: 0.5
Accelerated Reader Quiz Type Information AR Quiz Types: RP, RV, VP

[Rida]

This was a funny book!

[Rani]

When kids are having a great time in school, something can't be right!