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Beautiful Bananas
On her way to her grandfather's house with a bunch of bananas, Beatrice has a series of mishaps with jungle animals who each substitute something new for what she is carrying.
32 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2003
5 people are currently reading
63 people want to read
About the author
Elizabeth Laird
214 books198 followersLaird was born in New Zealand in 1943, the fourth of five children. Her father was a ship's surgeon; both he and Laird's mother were Scottish. In 1945, Laird and her family returned to Britain and she grew up in South London, where she was educated at Croydon High School.
When she was eighteen, Laird started teaching at a school in Malaysia. She decided to continue her adventurous life, even though she was bitten by a poisonous snake and went down with typhoid.
After attending the university in Bristol, Laird began teaching English in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. She and a friend would hire mules and go into remote areas in the holidays.
After a while at Edinburgh University, Laird worked in India for a summer. During travel, she met her future husband, David McDowall, who she said was very kind to her when she was airsick on a plane. The couple were married in 1975 and have two sons, Angus and William.
Laird has also visited Iraq and Lebanon. She claims to dislike snakes, porridge and being cold but enjoys very dark chocolate, Mozart, reading and playing the violin in the Iraq Symphony Orchestra.
She currently lives in Richmond, London with her husband.
When she was eighteen, Laird started teaching at a school in Malaysia. She decided to continue her adventurous life, even though she was bitten by a poisonous snake and went down with typhoid.
After attending the university in Bristol, Laird began teaching English in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. She and a friend would hire mules and go into remote areas in the holidays.
After a while at Edinburgh University, Laird worked in India for a summer. During travel, she met her future husband, David McDowall, who she said was very kind to her when she was airsick on a plane. The couple were married in 1975 and have two sons, Angus and William.
Laird has also visited Iraq and Lebanon. She claims to dislike snakes, porridge and being cold but enjoys very dark chocolate, Mozart, reading and playing the violin in the Iraq Symphony Orchestra.
She currently lives in Richmond, London with her husband.
Ratings & Reviews
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Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews
February 17, 2016
This is our book for our language and literacy small groups this week. It's about a girl who's bringing her Grandpa a gift. After the story was over, I asked my students to draw a picture of something they would give as a gift and who would they give it to.
February 27, 2022
Beautiful Bananas by Elizabeth Liard, Illustrator Liz Pichon- Hindi language translation by Arvind Gupta- Children’s Illustrated Colour Picture Book- The book narrates an Ethiopian tale. A young girl Beatrice is carrying fruits as gift for her grandfather. On the way she encounters a Giraffe who accidently flicks her bananas into the nearby stream. The Giraffe feels sorry and provides a bunch of flowers in exchange. On the way she meets a group of bees who fall on the sweet smelling flowers and spoil the flowers. Bees are not thankless; they offer a honeycomb in exchange of flowers for her grandfather. There are more adventures. Beatrice meets some monkeys, then as last, the elephant sneezes picks up a bunch of bananas and gives them to Beatrice for grandfather. Coloured illustrations help the reader to relate to the context of the book. Children can easily know the names of fruits and animals. I have read the Hindi language translation of this book.
September 25, 2018
Beatrice is on her way to see her grandfather and give him a gift of bananas. Animals along the way create havoc with her present, but in the end she always has a gift to give.
It's a fun travel tale with animal antics and swapping of goods. I storytold this book more than read the sentences word for word.
2018 storytime theme: bananas
Reviewed from a library copy.
It's a fun travel tale with animal antics and swapping of goods. I storytold this book more than read the sentences word for word.
2018 storytime theme: bananas
Reviewed from a library copy.
September 28, 2017
Try to read it to a child making the voices of all the animals that Beatrice meets along the way. The children will love you forever!
July 2, 2020
Tropical book with great illustration and great storyline
November 28, 2022
Brilliant book for EYFS to year 2. Funny and has lots of talking points to ask questions about.
March 19, 2023
It’s a really cool book because it has a bunch of animals.
July 1, 2024
This book has a very simple storyline and resonates very well with a song that we sing as a child to others in our native language . Love the simple theme!
September 24, 2016
a young girl is traveling to her grandpa's house to give him some bananas. Along the way she bumps into many animals who each take her gift and giver a new one. Cute and colorful pictures. length makes it preschool.
December 3, 2013
Dad: How many stars?
Gwen: I WANT FIVE STARS! One, two, three, four, five. One two three four five six seven eight nine ten... One two three... continues counting to ten several times... occasionally going up to thirteen.
Dad: Have you stopped thinking about the review and just started counting? Why do you want to give it five stars?
Gwen: Because I'm FIVE!
D: You just turned five?
G: Yes! I just turned five.
D: What was the book about?
G: It was aboooouuut... A girl... let me read it... It was about a girl who got some really yummy bananas and something took them from her. And then she got something else and something else and something else...
D: Who took the bananas?
G: I don't remember. Let me see. (Starts singing: Let me see who took the baNAAAAnas. Let me see who took the baNAAAnas...) The wind. The wind took the bananas. Because it was strong and it blowed the bananas away. So the bananas blowed into the lake.
D: Are you sure? Give me that book. (Looks at book.) No! It wasn't the wind, it was a giraffe. It was the giraffe's tale.
G: Oh. (smiles)
(In Gwen's defense, we read this only once, well before dinner, and it's now well after dinner...)
D: What was your favorite part?
G: My favorite part was when she got more bananas by the elephant. I mean, when she got more bananas from an elephant.
D: You want to be done with the review?
G: nods.
D: Thanks for writing it with me. Do you want to read it?
G: Yes.
Gwen: I WANT FIVE STARS! One, two, three, four, five. One two three four five six seven eight nine ten... One two three... continues counting to ten several times... occasionally going up to thirteen.
Dad: Have you stopped thinking about the review and just started counting? Why do you want to give it five stars?
Gwen: Because I'm FIVE!
D: You just turned five?
G: Yes! I just turned five.
D: What was the book about?
G: It was aboooouuut... A girl... let me read it... It was about a girl who got some really yummy bananas and something took them from her. And then she got something else and something else and something else...
D: Who took the bananas?
G: I don't remember. Let me see. (Starts singing: Let me see who took the baNAAAAnas. Let me see who took the baNAAAnas...) The wind. The wind took the bananas. Because it was strong and it blowed the bananas away. So the bananas blowed into the lake.
D: Are you sure? Give me that book. (Looks at book.) No! It wasn't the wind, it was a giraffe. It was the giraffe's tale.
G: Oh. (smiles)
(In Gwen's defense, we read this only once, well before dinner, and it's now well after dinner...)
D: What was your favorite part?
G: My favorite part was when she got more bananas by the elephant. I mean, when she got more bananas from an elephant.
D: You want to be done with the review?
G: nods.
D: Thanks for writing it with me. Do you want to read it?
G: Yes.
February 6, 2017
I am a sucker for beautifully illustrated kids books, and this is one that immediately called out to me.
The vibrant colors and gorgeous pictures are definitely what earned most of the stars for this book, but the story is pretty cute on it’s own. Beatrice is on her way to her grandfather’s house with a bunch of bananas, but along the way she loses them to an animal who gives her something in return…and the process repeats several times.
It is a story I’ve seen around in other forms, so if you have one like this already it might be a skip for you. It is a cute, light read that its definitely something I can see a child picking up multiple times.
Despite the slightly repetitious nature of the book I do think this one makes for a beautiful book to have on the little one’s shelves
The vibrant colors and gorgeous pictures are definitely what earned most of the stars for this book, but the story is pretty cute on it’s own. Beatrice is on her way to her grandfather’s house with a bunch of bananas, but along the way she loses them to an animal who gives her something in return…and the process repeats several times.
It is a story I’ve seen around in other forms, so if you have one like this already it might be a skip for you. It is a cute, light read that its definitely something I can see a child picking up multiple times.
Despite the slightly repetitious nature of the book I do think this one makes for a beautiful book to have on the little one’s shelves
May 28, 2009
This book keeps both boys attention. It is a story about a girl bringing bananas to her Grandad. Along the way different animals inadvertantly destroy her gift and replace it with a new one. There is a lot of color, sound and movement making this a very energetic read.
John's favorite part: the bananas, John likes bananas.
John's favorite part: the bananas, John likes bananas.
November 8, 2013
This is a well written picture book, except for the last page...the ending. It just needed a bit of tightening and it would have been greatly improved. Otherwise there are many examples of alliteration and strong verbs that makes for a good reading to young listeners. It's a sweet idea that Beatrice is bringing her grandad a present.
November 2, 2007
Beatrice sets off through the jungle with a bunch of bananas for her grandfather. Along the way she encounters a series of animals that cause her trouble. Will she still have a gift for her grandfather at the end? (Pretty cute picture book.)
August 6, 2010
This was a sweet story about a little girl who wanted to bring bananas to her granddad....along the way everything and anything happens to her gifts of bananas and they get replaced wtih other fun things and they disappear, until finally the elephant at the end gives her bananas more. Cute.
May 25, 2013
This is a darling book about a girl who has an adventure as she goes to visit her grandfather. Each animal she runs in to along the way helps (and hinders) her and hilarity ensues. This is a feel-good book with eye-popping illustrations and lots of fun!
September 2, 2016
Cheerful, bright, circular story.
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December 31, 2023Short, sweet. Cute animal illustrations.
June 26, 2025
animals and gifts and mishaps along the way. good. plus, we like to say it "bah-nah-naaaaaaaahs".
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February 27, 2019jungle, bananas, repeating story structure
Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews