Sleep Tight, Anna Banana!

April 21, 2014
Tucked contentedly into bed with her book and surrounded by half a dozen stuffed animals, Anna Banana may look like a mild-mannered sweetheart, but that’s not entirely the case. Just ask those stuffed animals. “Anna Banana! We’re sleepy!” protests teddy bear Grizzler. “Well, just close your eyes!” she responds. One by one, the animals try to find somewhere dark and not punctuated by Anna’s loud laughter to sleep, but she’s not letting anyone leave. “Anna likes to have ALL her stuffed animals around her,” writes French author Roques as Dormal shows Anna snagging Foxface by his tail and yanking Fuzzball away from the lamp he tries to turn off. Eventually, Anna gets tired, and that’s when her now-surly toys decide to teach her a lesson that boils down to “turnabout is fair play”—accordions, couples dancing, and footraces all factor in. It’s a fairly straightforward story about being considerate of others (even if they’re filled with stuffing), but the mischievous physical comedy that Dormal brings to his loosely scrawled cartoons keeps it from ever feeling didactic or dull. Ages 3–7.

May 1, 2014
A comics-inspired delight from France-the graphic-novel publisher's first picture book-introduces an appealingly feisty girl to a U.S. audience.Way past bedtime, Anna Banana's engrossed in her book, finding it alternately "fascinating...frightening...hilarious...gripping." Her six bleary stuffed toys try to sleep, but Anna's loud guffaw startles them awake. Each critter-including Foxface, Whaley and Pingpong the penguin-tries to steal away for some shut-eye, only to be hauled back by Anna, who prefers being surrounded by her pals. Finally, she's tired enough to turn out the light. But her sleepy entourage turns the tables, staging an impromptu musicale, a spirited group bed-jumping session and a running race. Anna protests vociferously, then apologizes to her "little peeps" for her belligerent behavior-and it's lights out for all. Or is it? Roques' cheery, translated text appears in word balloons. Dormal's mixed-media illustrations, in borderless panels and spots (often four to a page), exude a cartoonish zeal. Illustrations on endpapers add to the narrative (though jacket flaps obscure too much of it). The toys' impressive emotional range is deftly captured, and clever details (such as Whaley spouting when Anna startles the group awake) should amuse both parents and kids.This tidy little package could inspire an uptick in bedtime exuberance. Happily, another outing with Anna and company is planned. (Picture book. 3-7)

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June 1, 2014

PreS-Gr 1-Anna Banana learns a bit about consideration for others in this amusing story. She takes all of her beloved stuffed animals (who talk, of course) to bed with her. Even though she's supposed to have turned out the lights, her book is too "fascinating...frightening...hilarious...gripping" to put down. Meanwhile, her exhausted friends try every tactic to get the exuberant girl to go to sleep. When she is finally tired, they turn the tables on her to see how she likes it. Finally, peace and quiet are restored. The comical illustrations, laid out in a variety of sizes and shapes, show a lot of movement and expression, especially through body language. Much of the tale is told through dialogue balloons and will make for a fun read-aloud. The lesson is not heavy-handed, and the humor keeps the story moving along at a brisk, entertaining pace.-B. Allison Gray, Goleta Public Library, CA

Copyright 2014 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

January 1, 2015
Anna Banana lies in bed reading a book, her stuffed-animal friends cozily arranged around her. However, a page turn reveals the toys aren't happy: "Anna Banana! We're sleepy!" Eventually she's ready to sleep, but her disgruntled and exhausted roommates have been pushed too far. Roques's hand-lettered speech-bubble text moves briskly along, and Dormal's cheery cartoon illustrations are full of expression.

(Copyright 2015 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)

September 1, 2014
In a peaceful-looking opening scene, Anna Banana, a little girl with a thick mane of yellow hair, lies in bed reading a book. Her stuffed-animal friends are cozily arranged around her pillow, just so. However, a page turn reveals that the toys aren't happy: "Anna Banana! We're sleepy!" They attempt various protests (escaping/singing a lullaby/turning the light off), but unsympathetic Anna isn't having any of it. She barely stops reading to grab, muffle, and restrain all six of her friends. "Anna likes to have ALL her stuffed animals around her." Eventually she's ready to sleep, but her disgruntled and exhausted roommates have been pushed too far. Once the light is turned off--it's on. The animals put on a midnight concert; they jump on the bed; they race one another across the room. Anna is furious--and oblivious to the irony: "I WANT TO SLEEP!" she yells. The cheery cartoon illustrations are full of expression, and Dormal's loose style calls to mind Arthur Howard's. Roques's hand-lettered speech-bubble text moves briskly along, commenting on the action and providing the characters and the art with much comedic fodder. kitty flynn

(Copyright 2014 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)