• Age: 3 to 7
• Grade: 1 to 3

Matthew laughs himself silly one day as he watches the banana-crazy monkeys at the Metro Zoo. That evening, bananas become Matthew's favorite food -- and he refuses to eat anything else! Over the next two weeks, he eats so many bananas that he starts to feel funny. He itches and scratches and itches and scratches until — KABLOOEY! Suddenly, Matthew is swinging from trees and shinnying up flagpoles! His parents try everything to stop his monkey business -- doctors, veterinarians, herbalists, chiropractors, animal trainers, psychiatrists and even a psychic. But nothing seems to work. Has Matthew gone completely bananas?

George Alexander Elliott (1901-1988) came to the University of Toronto in 1946 as a Professor of Economics, having previously taught at the Universities of Manitoba, Chicago, and Alberta. In 1944-5 he was a Commissioner of the Royal Commission on Co-operatives, and beginning in 1947 he served as Managing Editor of the Canadian Journal of Economics and Political Science. He was a member of the Board of Directors of the National Bureau of Economic Research and a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada.

George Elliott's profile page

Andrej Krystoforski was born in Poland. He has worked as a production designer and as an animator. In addition to illustrating the Jungle of Utt books and The Boy Who Loved Bananas, he has also contributed illustrations to many magazines and newspapers. Andrej lives in Toronto, Ontario.

Andrej Krystoforski's profile page

• Winner, Blue Spruce Award, Ontario Library Association
• Winner, Great Book of the Year, Canadian Toy Testing Council

... captures well the book’s theme of the pleasures of simple goofiness

Andrej Krystoforski, an artist in Richmond Hill, Ontario, captures well the book’s theme of the pleasures of simple goofiness with his bright, energetic pen-and-watercolour illustrations — Krystoforski makes certain that many of the minor background characters are silly and vibrant, too, exactly as they would appear to a boy with a frantic imagination and a desire to pursue his enthusiasms to their ends.

Elliott’s straightforward text with its repetitive elements makes this an upbeat and child-pleasing choice, especially for read-alouds. Young audiences will be immensely satisfied with the final double-page illustration and its wordless conclusion.

The Boy Who Loved Bananas