Brianna Banana, Helper of the Day

  • Illustrated By: Suharu Ogawa
  • Pages:96
  • Publisher:Orca Book Publishers
  • Series: Orca Echoes
  • Themes:making friends, social skills, self-regulation, funny chapter book, illustrated chapter book
  •  
  • Available:02/11/2025
  • Reading Level:2.7
  • Lexile:640L
  • Fountas & Pinnell Text Level Gradient:M
Paperback
9781459840010
$8.95
EPUB
9781459840034 LICENSE OPTIONS
$7.99

“Reminiscent of Junie B. Jones. Illustrations by Ogawa evoke Raina Telgemeier vibes and bring funny scenes of this charming read by Button to vivid life.”—Publishers Weekly, starred review

★“Readers will root for Brianna, while perhaps understanding why she has so few friends. A flawed but sympathetic character worthy of readers’ love.”—Kirkus, starred review

I'm Brianna Ross. And what I love is:

  1. Kicking leaves.
  2. Digging soft sand.
  3. Helping others.

What I don't love is:

  1. Having zero friends in my class.
  2. Getting in trouble every single day.
  3. Being called Brianna Banana.

Nine-year-old Brianna struggles to fit in. She can be impulsive and distracted, and sometimes she loses her temper, but she's also thoughtful and brave and ready to be a friend. Brianna thinks that being chosen for classroom helper duty will make the other kids like her. When new girl Rumi is named Helper of the Day instead, Brianna is disappointed. But could a new friend be just around the corner?

The epub edition of this title is fully accessible.

“I LOVE Brianna Banana. The story. The character. The tone and voice. With elegant simplicity from an author who knows the craft, Lana Button delivers humor and insight that entertains and teaches a wonderful lesson. I hope I get to meet Brianna again and again in more of these amazing stories.”
– Sigmund Brouwer, award-winning author of over 100 titles for children and adults

★ “Reminiscent of Junie B. Jones. Well-meaning Brianna’s smart narration relates her struggles coping with family upheaval, bullying, and frequent communication snafus and misunderstandings with adults as well as her yearning for a best friend. Grayscale illustrations by Ogawa evoke Raina Telgemeier vibes and bring funny scenes of this charming read by Button to vivid life.”

– Publishers Weekly, starred review

★ “Button attempts a tough balancing act: keeping her protagonist sympathetic in spite of her many mistakes and crafting a nuanced, wholly believable character within a relatively short page count. She triumphs: Readers will root for Brianna, while perhaps understanding why she has so few friends. A flawed but sympathetic character worthy of readers’ love.”

– Kirkus Reviews, starred review

“Depicts a realistic view of the inner workings of a high-energy child who just wants to be accepted. Ogawa’s black-and-white illustrations add charm and movement to the prose. A chapter book about friendship and SEL that will be a great fit for children’s collections.”

– School Library Journal (SLJ)

Download the Brianna Banana Teacher Guide.

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