IF YOU MAKE A CALL ON A BANANA PHONE

Wish fulfillment comes via fruit-based communications and a whole lot of imagination.

With a tone and cadence similar to that of If You Give a Mouse a Cookie (1985), this tale informs young readers of what might happen if they were to go and make a call on a “banana phone.” Clearly, if you made a call on a banana, you’d get a gorilla on the other end. The creature might have a lot of questions about you, like why you’re calling or what you look like. (“They might want to know if you have stripes or spots, horns or a tail.”) Family members may doubt that you’re really speaking to a gorilla, but soon enough, other animals will wish to talk to you, too. And if the gorilla and friends come to visit, you won’t be surprised. After all, if you make a call on a banana phone, “You might just make a friend.” Sterer’s text may lie almost entirely in suppositions, but the results are magical. Like a series of Henri Rousseau paintings brought to life, Hughes’ artwork boasts a strong mix of fantasy and normality. The illustrations bring a warmth and understanding to not only the gorilla-child interactions but also to the human family unit. Human characters are pale-skinned and dark-haired.

Expect more fruit to find its way to young ears, thanks to this gentle cross-species tale of friendship.