If You Make a Call on a Banana Phone
Gideon Sterer, illus. by Emily Hughes. Clarion, $19.99 (48p) ISBN 978-0-0633-7522-2
Calling on the concept of the banana phone and hewing closely to the prose stylings of If You Give a Mouse a Cookie, Sterer (Treehouse Town) asks readers to entertain the notion of a gorilla answering a call by picking up a banana receiver on the line’s other end. For the book’s human
protagonist, a seeming middle child with a bowl haircut who’s apparently
caught between a scowling older sibling and a busy infant, this link becomes a much-needed balm. The rung-up gorilla proves a perfect chat chum, listening attentively (“If you are calling just because, that’s ok”), appreciating the youth’s humor (“There aren’t many jokes in the jungle”), and affirming the child as a reliable companion (“By now the gorilla will probably trust you and might share a secret”). Digital illustrations from Hughes (the Charlie & Mouse series) pair Rousseau-like jungle landscapes with more sparsely detailed scenes of human home life—sometimes contrasting environments, sometimes creating comical mirror images. The story takes one more fanciful turn when the gorilla and pals pay a visit, suggesting that the best connection is about finding someone on one’s wavelength—banana or otherwise. Human characters are portrayed with pale skin and dark hair. Ages 4–8. (Sept.)
Details
Reviewed on: 05/29/2025
Genre: Children's