Review sponsored* by BookLogix
The Children’s Book Review | March 1, 2019
The Great Adventures of Banana and Basil
Written by Kelli Hughes
Illustrated by Jackie A. Gentile
Age Range: 4-8
Paperback: 40 pages
Publisher: Kelli Hughes
ISBN-13: 978-1732709904
What to expect: Adventure, Friendship, and Self-Discovery
Two friends with different personalities come together to find a special gift for one of their grandfathers. The adventure sparks joy for the friends and rekindles the grandfather’s childish energy.
Bailee Banana and Benjamin Basil are best friends—together they are partners in crime bringing out the best in each other. Bailee tends to be a bit shy, while Ben is always up for a new adventure. Ben’s Grandpa Basil’s birthday is coming up soon and this provides the perfect setting for Bailee and Ben’s latest jaunt. Grandpa B seems to have been a little lackluster of late, so Ben hatches a plan to pep his gramps up a little. As the adventure begins, the kids head to the infamous Pirate’s Cove to pick the pink magnolia flower that blooms only once every eight years under the strawberry moon. With the help of some animal friends along the way, the outlook is promising that the kids will be able to bring home this blossom of life.
The author, Kelli Hughes, has produced a creative, candid adventure that reads like a campfire yarn—short enough to hold attention and yet long enough to fulfill the request of “tell me more.” From setting to character descriptions, fun food references fill the pages: the Banana family lives on Strawberry Lane, and the Basil family lives on Sage Street with their peppery personalities. Colorful pictures complement the enjoyable story, and, with glowing hues and shadowy blues in all the right places, the lighting in the illustrations plays a big part in creating a friendly mood for the adventure.
This picture book shows that adventure and new experiences can lead to wonderful things, and that a little freedom and space to explore can lead to some self-discovery—we too can blossom, just like the pink magnolia flower.
Available Here
About the Author
Kelli was born and raised in Georgia. She has worked with children her entire career and truly has a passion for improving the lives of children around the world.
Kelli is the author behind the Banana and Basil series. She works in the healthcare industry specializing in pediatric massage therapy. Kelli’s inspiration for writing the Banana & Basil series was sparked from her time spent reading to special needs children who wanted something more from the books they read. Kelli made it her mission to create a book that the whole family could fall in love with.
You can often find Kelli at her local coffee shop sipping her favorite drink working on her next book. She loves rainy days, crisp autumn nights and peppermint lattes. She never knew she had such a love for writing until she stumbled on writing adventure stories for kids.
For more information, visit: https://www.kellihughesbooks.com/
Dedicated Reviews allow authors and illustrators to gain prompt visibility for their work. BookLogix sponsored* this non-biased review of “The Great Adventures of Banana and Basil”. Learn more about getting a book review …
