Piranhas Don't Eat Bananas

May 20, 2019
Brian, a piranha, clearly did not get the memo about what his species eats, and it’s frustrating his fellow fish. “Well, how about some silverbeet?” asks the piranha protag when the others reject the titular banana offering. “Are you serious, Brian? We eat feet” replies the opposition’s leader as a human’s toes suddenly dangle temptingly in the water. Brian, who holds forth from the left side of each spread, keeps at it, suggesting peas and plums as the others counter with preferred piranha foods (knees, bums). He eventually convinces his carnivorous peers to decide for themselves whether plant-based eats are “yucky or yum,” and the fish concur that they’re tasty—just not as delicious as the swim-trunk-clad human buns now on the scene. As the green, bug-eyed fish float and squabble in rhyme amid a bubble-flecked white space, Blabey (the Bad Guys series) hits all the right notes of absurdity (including piling enough fruit on Brian’s head to give Carmen Miranda a run for her money) to send young readers into a bedtime reading frenzy. Ages 3–5.

April 15, 2019
It takes a lot of sass to make "piranhas" and "bananas" rhyme, and Blabey's book is full of that sass. Who would guess that a piranha loves fruit? But Brian does. When he tries to tempt other piranhas to try a banana, they turn him down cold. "Well, how about some silverbeet?" Brian asks. "Are you serious, Brian? We eat feet," they reply. "Or would you rather a bowl of peas?" "Stop it, Brian. We eat knees." Children will readily guess what the other piranhas reply when Brian asks if they'd like some nice, ripe plums. But Brian keeps trying, ultimately offering the other fish "an awesome fruit platter." They gobble it up in a typical piranha frenzy, and a hopeful Brian asks, "Is it yucky or yum?" While they admit "It's very nice," they enthusiastically proclaim, "But we still prefer bum!" The loose, rhyming back and forth between Brian and the other piranhas make this a fun read-aloud guaranteed to generate giggles and requests to "read it again." Illustrations, just as sassy as the text, spotlight bright, lantern-jawed avocado-green fish and colorful fruit that pop against a stark white background. And the piranhas' facial expressions? Priceless. Don't miss the endpapers for serious and not-so-serious information about piranhas and bananas. A wonderfully silly story about being true to yourself. (Picture book. 4-6)

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