Anna Banana and Me

by Lenore Blegvad

Book by Blegvad, Lenore

Genres: Picture Books, Friendship, Childrens

32 pages, Hardcover

First published March 1, 1985

Reviews

[Darlabatiasmith Asterbuckleyman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Creo que me lo leí dos veces seguidas y solo recuerdo un pasillo oscuro.
A lo mejor lo estoy confundiendo con digimon.

[Jessie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is my third childhood re-read (also one from the box). I read it out loud to myself and when I do that, I always find myself reading it the way I remember my mom read it to me. The illustration style is unique. We have a focus on city life and going to the park within the city. Just a good book.

[Mari · Rating 3 out of 5]

Adventurous like my friend who is in Peru studying frogs, learning about hummingbirds, and exploring a whole different world that she has been preparing herself for years. May we all be as brave as her and the character in this book. be able to do what we want without any fear or regrets.

[Jeena · Rating 4 out of 5]

I remember reading this book as a child. Honestly, the "self-confidence" was pretty lost on me (or was it? I remember being friends with many of my classmates in grade school, even dancing in front of the class once) and I focused on the adventure and the fantastical illustrations. I remember a little red goblin guy and Ana and the boy finding an angel feather. A magical read for a little kid like I was!

[Joanne Roberts · Rating 3 out of 5]

This expertly illustrated picture book stands up pretty well to the test of time. The story follows a boy and his exuberant-if-illusive friend. The text is spare, the adventures are genuine, and the lesson is perfect for readers of this age. The simple games the children play as they explore ordinary city settings highlight the magic of a child's imagination.

[Mary · Rating 3 out of 5]

I don't particularly find anything likeable about Anna. However, I do like the switch of gender stereotypes for sure. That said, the little boy's story is more touching because he has used her formula to conquer his fear. He grows in the book. She does not.

[Cheryl · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Feisty" is the best word that the blurb writer could come up with? "Fearless" is good. But there's something more going on, too. Even back in the day children didn't normally have quite this much freedom.

The art is fantastic, adds a lot to the story.

I enjoyed this from openlibrary.org.

[Fernando · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very sweet story about overcoming our fear of doing new things and being our authentic selves.

[pauchi · Rating 4 out of 5]

me puse como propósito leerme todos los libritos de mi infancia k hay por casa y este me ha dejao el corazón calentito

[Amanda Nielson · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a delight to read. The main character, Anna Banana, is a child who is fearless and has a big imagination. Her friend is afraid to do new things but follows Anna Banana around each day watching her try new things - swinging as high as the treetops, creating stories in the park all coming from her imagination. In the end, will Anna Banana's fearful friend be brave like Anna Banana or be too scared to move?

This book would be good as a mentor text when instructing students about using imagination in writing. The section of the book where Anna Banana creates a story about the tomato head goblin comes from her big imagination and the fact that she and her friend were sitting on a stature reading a book. It can also be used to talk about fears and how you can conquer them writing assignments.

[Emily Scott · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is such a warm and funny story. It is about a girl named Anna Banana who is fearless. She does lots of crazy things like swings high in the playground, invents stories about huge, terrifying goblins and believes in magic. But the small boy she plays with is afraid. He would never do the things that Anna Banana does, even when they're together. One day, when he's most scared, he uses a little bit of her magic and makes some of this own. I really liked this book. I think that this book would be found so exciting and inspirational to many younger readers. You could do many activities with this book. I would use this book in any 1st through 3rd grade classroom. The book could be read by any beginning reader, would be great for a fun bedtime story as well!

[Allie · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is about a little girl named Anna Banana who is very adventurous and has no fears. Anna swings high on the swings and believes in magic. The little boy she plays with is very afraid of the things Anna does. Even if she does them he won’t because he is too afraid. But one day the little boy uses a little of Anna’s magic. This encourages the little boy to face his own fears. This book teaches a good lesson. One lesson this book teaches is that boys and girls can be friends at a very young age. Another lesson this teaches is to try new things because you may enjoy it. After reading this book to your students you can pair a boy and a girl together and have them draw a picture of what they would do if they played together. This book is good for first grade and second grade.

[Amanda Blackwell · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is about a young girl, Anna Banana, and her friend that is a boy. The boy is very afraid of everything and Anna Banana is fearless. She uses her imagination and believes in magic. This book is about the adventure they go on and allowing the young boy to believe in magic and be fearless.

This book is great for breaking gender stereotypes in society. It shows a girl being fearless and breaking the boy out of his shell. He always says, “She isn’t afraid,” but he is. People do not tell Anna Banana that she isn’t lady like; this is just the way she acts. It is a book that does not challenge the stereotypes; it just presents a girl being fearless as normal. Anna Banana includes a great plot and detailed illustrations that go along well with the text.

[Kristen · Rating 2 out of 5]

I have mixed emotions about this book. It’s about a little girl named Anna Banana and she’s very courageous and adventurous. She swings high on the swings and believes in things like magic. She plays with a small boy who is nowhere near as fearless as Anna Banana is, but one day he uses some of her magic. This book is about gaining self-confidence and courage and making friends. I did find this book a little boring to be honest, but I did enjoy the pictures in it.

[Jennifer · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a relatable tale about the adventures of two children living in the city. The characters turn the city park into their own little world with secret hiding places and magic. The illustrations are beautifully drawn in pen and ink. I like that the point of view is so convincingly that of a child.

[Janice Redding · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great book to talk to Pre-K and Kindergarten students about finding friends as well as gaining self-confidence. I can use this book to talk about how friends are important and they help establish balance. Everyone needs friends, and friends can have a positive influence.

[Brittany · Rating 4 out of 5]

Can we be friends with someone who is different? Can boys and girls be friends? This is a great book to build self-confidence and establish friendships breaking the stereotype of boys and girls aren't able to be friends.

[Kjartan A. · Rating 2 out of 5]

The book was okay, and it had great pictures. A little boring story, so I was to use this book in my classroom I think I would present it for the 3 year olds.

[Sarah Threlkeld · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book illustrates the power of imagination, taking risks, and friendship.

[Zaida · Rating 5 out of 5]

Un libro de mi infancia.

[Shawnee · Rating 3 out of 5]

A little odd for me, but still pretty good.

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

Virtue: courage

Moral: Iron sharpens iron

[Yvonne O'Connor · Rating 2 out of 5]

Is Anna real or just a figment of the boy’s imagination? If the former, it’s a cute story. If the latter, she’s pretty weird - disappearing on him, telling him a scary story and abandoning him, leading him around his apartment complex unaccompanied. And where are their parents? Who lets a kid run around Central Park alone?