Bitter Bananas (Picture Puffins) - Softcover

Olaleye, Isaac

3.32

28 ratings by Goodreads

9780140557107: Bitter Bananas (Picture Puffins)

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0140557105 ISBN 13: 9780140557107

Publisher: Puffin Books, 1996

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Young Yusuf tries to think of a way to keep the baboons from stealing the sweet palm sap that he sells at market, in a story set in the African rain forest with illustrations by the Caldecott Medalist for Lon Po Po. Reprint.

"synopsis" may belong to another edition of this title.

From School Library Journal:

Kindergarten-Grade 3-Young Yusuf is a resourceful boy who is quite fond of the sweet palm sap he harvests near his home in the African rain forest. He sells at market what he doesn't consume, so is naturally upset to discover a family of baboons helping themselves to his potential profits. After several of his efforts to keep the animals away fail, he declares, "Those baboons will not make a monkey out of me!" and devises a foolproof plan to get rid of the scoundrels. By employing some ingenuity, a bit of muscle, and a little juice from wormwood leaves, he convinces the creatures to look elsewhere for a tasty breakfast and has the sweet satisfaction of a job well done. While the folkloric theme of this simple story is hardly original, it is well paced and charmingly told. The refrains-"Oh yes! Oh yes!" and "Oh no! Oh no!"-heighten the tension, expand the humor, and add child appeal. However, it's Young's cut-paper artwork and the book's sumptuous design that will draw readers in and hold them rapt. Dramatic and vibrant, the images are as dense as the rain forest, the colors as saturated as if pounded by "a trillion strands of rain," and as energetic as Yusuf himself.
Luann Toth, School Library Journal
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist:

Ages 4-8. To deter the baboons that are stealing the sweet palm sap he sells at the market, young Yusuf comes up with a scheme--a special recipe to help the animals change their dietary habits. When the baboons find the recipe too bitter, they leave the locale (and Yusuf's sap) for sweeter eating elsewhere. Nigerian Olaleye's eminently readable text naturally calls for audience participation. Young renders the story beautifully in cut-paper collages of vibrant pink and lush green, which present the baboons and Yusuf in a fantastical, tropical environment that invites and encloses. The illustrations include several large, double-page spreads that make the book suitable for use with large as well as small groups. Janice Del Negro

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