Brianna Banana, Helper of the Day - Orca Echoes by Lana Button Paperback

About the Book

In this illustrated early chapter book, Brianna is convinced she will finally make a friend in her class if she is chosen to be classroom helper, but the new girl, Rumi, is picked instead.

Book Synopsis

★ "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.

From the Back Cover

What's the secret to making friends? I'm Brianna Ross. I love kicking leaves, digging soft sand and helping others. What I don't love is having zero friends in my class, getting in trouble every single day and being called Brianna Banana. But that's all going to change when I'm chosen for Helper of the Day. Everyone will want to be my friend then! Unless someone else in my class is chosen instead...

Review Quotes

""Brianna Banana, Helper of the Day is a story about friendship, how to be a friend and how to make a friend. Highly recommended."

-- "CM: Canadian Review of Materials"

★ "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)"

★ "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"

About the Author

Lana Button is an early childhood educator and the author of more than a dozen books for children, including Stay My Baby, Tough Like Mum and the Kitty and Friends series. Her books have been shortlisted for the Blue Spruce Award, Shining Willow Award, IODE Jean Throop Book Award and Rainforest of Reading, and they have been recognized as Canadian Children's Book Centre's Best Books and an IBBY Outstanding Book for Young Children. Lana is a former actress who considers every read-aloud a mini performance. When not writing new stories, Lana spends her time travelling to schools and festivals to share her passion for social-emotional literacy. She lives in Burlington, Ontario.

Suharu Ogawa is a Toronto-based illustrator. Her love for drawing started in a kindergarten art school after being kicked out of calligraphy class for refusing to convert to right-handedness. Formally trained in art history and cultural anthropology, she worked for several years as a university librarian until her passion for illustration called her out of that career and into the pursuit of a lifelong dream. Since then, Suharu has created illustrations for magazines, public art projects and children's books, including All Consuming, Cities: How Humans Live Together, Cities: How Humans Live Together and Why Humans Work: How Jobs Shape Our Lives and Our World. She also teaches illustration at OCAD University in Toronto.