I was surprised to find that this book, Bad Bananas: A Story Cookbook for Kids, was written by the same man who wrote Anna’s Prayer.  They’re so different!

This silly book personifies bananas.  Watch them transition from young and good, to adventurous, to just plain bad — ill-intentioned gang members who are a bad influence on other fruit.  The text is full of puns, and recipes are interspersed at appropriate points.

The illustrations are fun.  You’ve not seen anything until you’ve seen a banana wearing cornrows, or participating in “extreme fruit sports!” Pay attention to the fruit labels — even these are accurate and well-used for literary effect.  (Which bananas are organic and which aren’t?)

Recipes include a Banana Smoothie, Banana Topping, Fruit Salad, Banana Pudding, Banana Muffins, Banana Pancakes, and Banana Redemption Bread — which reminds us that “even a bad banana can turn out good.”

Disclosure: The author provided a copy of the book to facilitate this review.  As always, all opinions expressed here are entirely my own.