Banana Fun Bread by Lear Riojas
When it comes to children’s literacy, it’s important to start reading early. But how do you introduce these lessons to young children while still maintaining the fun? Author Lear Riojas has just the thing for you. His debut children’s book, Banana Fun Bread, tells the story of a young boy named Fred, who is looking forward to snacking on his favorite food.
He’s so excited by the very thought of it that loaves of banana bread spring from his imagination, leading him on a wild goose chase through his neighborhood. In an effort to catch up, Fred calls upon other foods and condiments from his family’s kitchen, hoping they’ll help him track down the elusive banana bread. Illustrator Chrissie Vales depicts each scene in a whimsical style, using soft colors to create a sense of childlike wonder.
Banana Fun Bread is geared for beginning readers, with cheerful rhyming stanzas as its text. Writing that employs rhythm and rhyme is known to help develop young children’s reading abilities. When reading rhymes, children are able to sound out words and hear the similarities, helping them understand the basic sounds that come together to form words. Reading a rhyming book aloud can also be a fun experience for a child and can help them absorb such lessons in an enjoyable way. There’s a reason why books like those of Dr. Seuss are so popular in classrooms; while the children enjoy the zany characters and goofy rhymes, teachers recognize them as valuable teaching tools. (For more on the benefits of rhyme in early reading, check out this post on the Reading Partners organization website.)
Along with rhyming words, Banana Fun Bread employs other learning devices as well. The story includes moments where Fred needs to count to a certain number, prompting the young reader to do the same. The book also tests the reader’s vocabulary as it introduces the many foods that Fred finds in the kitchen. We read about these foods in recipes or areas of the kitchen where they would usually be found: “butter is stuck in the batter,” “mayo is in the fridge trapped.”
Riojas’s delightfully playful and silly tale combines “fun” with “fundamental” to create a book that both you and your child will love reading. It encourages children to use their imaginations as well. As Fred and his banana bread friends head inside after a long day of make-believe, your child will only be just beginning on their journey of expanding their creativity and love for the written word.
