Bananas in My Ears

Michael Rosen.  We all know him from We're Going on A Bear Hunt, This is Our House, and Michael Rosen's Sad Book.  Or any of his other 140+ books!

One of my new favorites is Bananas in My Ears.  It's illustrated by Sir Quentin Blake, the very first British Children's Laureate.  They've collaborated on many titles over the years.  Bananas in My Ears is published by Candlewick Press.  

This books is a collection of silly rhymes, stories, and poems.  And what a grand collaboration it is between two brilliant artists.  One supplies the words.  One supplies the illustrations to support the words. 

Sometimes it's fun to run across a text that's just, well, silly!  And, of course, it's fun to read aloud, use for inferring, use for writing nudges.  But above all else, it's just a fun book.  

My favorite bits in the book are the "Nat and Anna" stories.  Mainly because they remind me of my own children.  

• Nat, trying to get Anna's attention.  Anna pretending Nate is invisible.  Hilarious.
• Nat following on the beach, afraid of jellyfish. 
• Nat and Anna having breakfast!  Enter mom!

I think that if you gave this book to two fourth graders (or first, or second, or tenth) and had them read... they'd laugh, they'd want to write, they'd talk.  It's a simple book full of silly stuff!  And, sometimes, we gotta have a little silly in our lives.

Thank you to my friends at Candlewick Press !