If ever there was a book for grandparents to read with their grandchildren, this is it!

Brian Banana Duck Sunshine Yellow has chosen most of his names. He stays with his Na Na and Grumpy on Friday nights, all day Saturday and most of Sunday and they have given him some more.

He is a child – he goes shopping with Na Na and Grumpy, he gets lost, he plays, he explores and he sees the world as he wants to.

It all makes sense to him, even if Na Na and Grumpy have a little trouble keeping up with it all. Brian’s words and explanations are most of the text, but there are also a few little adult voices in the background to add to his unique perspective on life.

Chris McKimmie’s artwork very cleverly shows Brian’s view of the world. It wanders around the pages rather like a child in a supermarket. At first it seems a bit like pictures from a prep classroom, bold strokes of colour with dots and lines going … somewhere and everywhere. But like the text, little adult touches in the details help frame and explain Brian’s way of seeing.

Brian Banana Duck Sunshine Yellow is a delightful story about being comfortable with who you are. Other people can be and do what they wish, but you do not have to copy them. Brian is happy being himself, and all his names.

Review by David Beagley

© 2006 David Beagley