Anna Banana and the Chocolate Explosion

April 1, 2015
Anna and her six extremely animate toy animals are back-this time, for an ultimately collaborative adventure in the kitchen. Pingpong the penguin announces, "Anna, I'm as hungry as a bear." When Anna offers a lesson on baking a chocolate cake, everyone's in. In a double-page spread, Anna directs each animal to fetch ingredients stowed all around the kitchen. The action-and plenty of it-unfolds in Dormal's soft-colored mixed-media panels, with Roques' dialogue in bubbles. Grizzler claims that he'd "rather bake by myself, in the living room." Meanwhile, Fuzzball's untutored way with utensils and the batter-"SPLAT! SPLAT! SPLAT!"-gives rise to a wayward swing, an airborne, ricocheting bowl, and a stupendous detonation of chocolate that spares no critter or surface. Grizzler interrupts the escalating squabbles by entering the kitchen with a perfectly baked cake, and when he heads off to make another, skeptical Anna and the animals follow him-to the village bakery. Lesson learned (don't cheat to impress), Grizzler rejoins the others as they complete their deliciously cooperative venture and share the fresh-from-the-oven result. Mother-and-son team Roques and Dormal deliver another comics-driven mix of gentle instruction and giggle-inducing visuals. A sweet treat. More, please! (Picture book. 4-7)