Available:*
Item Barcode | Collection | Call Number | Status | Item Holds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 33607003351510 | Juvenile Fiction | RISSI | Searching... Unknown | Searching... Unavailable |
Bound With These Titles
On Order
Summary
Summary
Meet Anna and her beloved wiener dog, Banana, in this start to a charming illustrated chapter book series about the joys and challenges of elementary school friendships.
Anna has been best friends with Sadie for as long as she can remember. So Anna is utterly perplexed when, on Anna's birthday, Sadie unceremoniously stakes claim to Anna's new pony necklace, then suddenly stops speaking to Anna altogether. Did Anna do something wrong? With a little help from her wiener dog, Banana, as well as some sage advice from her family, Anna makes some important discoveries about what it means to stand up for herself, and how to be a true friend.
Author Notes
Anica Mrose Rissi grew up on an island off the coast of Maine, where she read a lot of books and loved a lot of pets. She now tells and collects stories, makes up songs on her violin, and eats lots of cheese with her friends in Princeton, New Jersey, where she lives with her dog, Arugula. Find out more at AnicaRissi.com and follow @AnicaRissi on Twitter.
Meg Park is a character designer and illustrator for clients including Disney, Nickelodeon, and Paramount Pictures. Meg lives in Scotland with her two cats Louie and Boo. She loves drawing, painting, and telling stories through her artwork.
Reviews (1)
School Library Journal Review
Gr 3-5-The first two titles in a new chapter book series by debut author Anica Rissi feature third grader Anna, her dog Banana, and her two best friends, Sadie and Isabel. In Anna, Banana and the Friendship Split, readers meet Anna and Sadie as the two are celebrating Anna's birthday. Anna hopes to use her birthday wish on a trip to Water World, but Sadie encourages her to wish for a pony. When Anna opens a present from her grandparents, she finds a glittery pony necklace inside-her wish came true! Yet Sadie grabs the necklace, and proceeds to wear it. Anna and Sadie begin to argue and Sadie storms off-with Anna's new necklace. The rest of the book follows Anna as she alternates between being mad and feeling sad at losing Sadie as her best friend. The simple plot picks up very quickly in order to provide a resolution. In Anna, Banana and the Monkey in the Middle, Anna and Sadie have apologized and gained a mutual new best friend in Isabel. Anna is excited to go on the class trip to the zoo, but trouble quickly brews again as both Sadie and Isabel want to sit with Anna on the bus. Anna begins to realize that having two best friends can be hard. The characters begin to come into their own more in this second title, with Anna's family providing her with a strong support system and logic to help realize that "having two best friends doesn't mean cutting yourself in half to hand out two smaller pieces." Black-and-white interior artwork is included throughout both books. Fans Sara Pennypacker's Clementine, Hilary McKay's Lulu, and Anna Branford's Violet Mackerel will enjoy meeting Anna and her friends. VERDICT Consider adding in libraries where simple chapter book series are popular.-Lisa Kropp, Suffolk Cooperative Library System, Bellport, NY (c) Copyright 2015. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Excerpts
Excerpts
Anna, Banana, and the Friendship Split Chapter One Make a Wish Sadie says the best thing about birthdays is getting presents, but my favorite part is the birthday wish. I've read all the fairy tales--I know you have to be careful what you wish for--so this year, I planned my wish out weeks in advance. I was ready. Everyone sang as Dad brought out the cake and placed it on the picnic blanket spread across our living room floor. It was chocolate cake with pink vanilla frosting: Sadie's and my favorite. Nine yellow candles flickered on top. I opened my mouth to suck in a huge breath, when Mom startled me. "Banana!" she said. "Get your nose out of there! Cake is not for dogs." Banana backed away from the birthday cake, making guilty eyes. She wagged her whole backside to tell Mom sorry and turned to sniff my best friend, Sadie, instead. Sadie giggled and pulled Banana onto her lap. "Come on, Anna," she said to me. "Make a wish!" I closed my eyes for just a second and pictured what I wanted: a trip to Water World. I could almost feel myself racing down a tall, twisty waterslide, zipping around the curves with Sadie right behind me, and splash-landing together in the giant wave pool below. The commercials made it look like the funnest place on Earth, and I'd been wanting to go since forever. Chuck had said our parents would never take us there, but I knew if I used my birthday wish on it, it would have to come true. Birthday wishes have extra magic. That's how I got Banana. I leaned toward the candles, ready to blow. But before I could let out my breath, Sadie whispered, "Wish for a pony." I froze. Where would we keep a pony? "Any day now, monkey face," Chuck said, sticking his finger in the frosting. Ugh. For a second I considered using my wish to ask for a less-annoying older brother, but even birthday-wish magic probably couldn't fix Chuck. Sadie nudged me. She snorted and flared her nostrils like the horses we'd seen at the park, and gave a little whinny of encouragement. She sounded just like a real stallion. I grinned at her and Banana and turned back to my cake. Blowing out the candles with one big breath, I thought, I wish for a pony. I can never say no to Sadie. She's my best friend. Excerpted from Anna, Banana, and the Friendship Split by Anica Mrose Rissi All rights reserved by the original copyright owners. Excerpts are provided for display purposes only and may not be reproduced, reprinted or distributed without the written permission of the publisher.