Go bananas!

PreS-Gr 1--This cheerily colorful riff on the infectious camp song will have little ones joining in. If the world's got you down, the antidote is simple: call on all your banana friends to unite and lead a shaking, twisting, peeling, going bananas chant that will make everyone feel better. With digitally rendered childlike illustrations, Watkins amps up the silliness with a cast of bananas with stick arms and legs, most in crazy costumes: alligator, clown, octopus, duck, puppy, grandma, and more. A generous sprinkling of confetti, stars, and musical notes further adds to the festive spirit. VERDICT Pull this one out when the classroom or story hour needs a reset and some giggles.--Jan Solow

When bananas cut loose, no one can stay upset for long. The opening pages depict a series of anthropomorphized bananas who all feel down in the dumps. A skateboard trick goes wrong; overwhelmed office workers struggle to field calls on both rotary and cell phones; a downcast clown can't muster a smile. Luckily, a group of performers (the nameBandnana festooned across their drum kit) arrives on the scene, with horn, percussion, and strings, to get everyone up and moving: It's time to "SHAKE, SHAKE, SHAKE!" Their clarion call--"Bananas of the world unite"--summons friends to take part; one even parachutes in. "Psychic Banana," "Duck Banana," "Chef Banana," and others join the activities, which include surfing and flying. The nonsense lyrics of the "Shake, Banana" song provide the text, leaving whatever narrative there is to the bright, childlike art. It's a banana world. Clowns, pets, grandmas, ghosts, babies, you name it--everyone in the book is a banana. Limbs are stuck on, faces peek out from the peels, and accessories (cowboy hat, Viking helmet) help identify roles--for instance, a Marie Antoinette lookalike and a witch. The final spread contains a bustling array of bananas--including the clown, who happily, is finally grinning. Giggles and get-up-and-go excitement galore.(Picture book. 4-8) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.