Sleep Tight, Anna Banana!

April 21, 2014
Tucked contentedly into bed with her book and surrounded by half a dozen stuffed animals, Anna Banana may look like a mild-mannered sweetheart, but that’s not entirely the case. Just ask those stuffed animals. “Anna Banana! We’re sleepy!” protests teddy bear Grizzler. “Well, just close your eyes!” she responds. One by one, the animals try to find somewhere dark and not punctuated by Anna’s loud laughter to sleep, but she’s not letting anyone leave. “Anna likes to have ALL her stuffed animals around her,” writes French author Roques as Dormal shows Anna snagging Foxface by his tail and yanking Fuzzball away from the lamp he tries to turn off. Eventually, Anna gets tired, and that’s when her now-surly toys decide to teach her a lesson that boils down to “turnabout is fair play”—accordions, couples dancing, and footraces all factor in. It’s a fairly straightforward story about being considerate of others (even if they’re filled with stuffing), but the mischievous physical comedy that Dormal brings to his loosely scrawled cartoons keeps it from ever feeling didactic or dull. Ages 3–7.

May 1, 2014
A comics-inspired delight from France-the graphic-novel publisher's first picture book-introduces an appealingly feisty girl to a U.S. audience.Way past bedtime, Anna Banana's engrossed in her book, finding it alternately "fascinating...frightening...hilarious...gripping." Her six bleary stuffed toys try to sleep, but Anna's loud guffaw startles them awake. Each critter-including Foxface, Whaley and Pingpong the penguin-tries to steal away for some shut-eye, only to be hauled back by Anna, who prefers being surrounded by her pals. Finally, she's tired enough to turn out the light. But her sleepy entourage turns the tables, staging an impromptu musicale, a spirited group bed-jumping session and a running race. Anna protests vociferously, then apologizes to her "little peeps" for her belligerent behavior-and it's lights out for all. Or is it? Roques' cheery, translated text appears in word balloons. Dormal's mixed-media illustrations, in borderless panels and spots (often four to a page), exude a cartoonish zeal. Illustrations on endpapers add to the narrative (though jacket flaps obscure too much of it). The toys' impressive emotional range is deftly captured, and clever details (such as Whaley spouting when Anna startles the group awake) should amuse both parents and kids.This tidy little package could inspire an uptick in bedtime exuberance. Happily, another outing with Anna and company is planned. (Picture book. 3-7)

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June 1, 2014

PreS-Gr 1-Anna Banana learns a bit about consideration for others in this amusing story. She takes all of her beloved stuffed animals (who talk, of course) to bed with her. Even though she's supposed to have turned out the lights, her book is too "fascinating...frightening...hilarious...gripping" to put down. Meanwhile, her exhausted friends try every tactic to get the exuberant girl to go to sleep. When she is finally tired, they turn the tables on her to see how she likes it. Finally, peace and quiet are restored. The comical illustrations, laid out in a variety of sizes and shapes, show a lot of movement and expression, especially through body language. Much of the tale is told through dialogue balloons and will make for a fun read-aloud. The lesson is not heavy-handed, and the humor keeps the story moving along at a brisk, entertaining pace.-B. Allison Gray, Goleta Public Library, CA

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