Nee Naw Goes Bananas product reviews

I knew that Miss Two would like this book! She is a child who throws her whole being into a story, singing, dancing, pointing to the pictures, and joining in with words or lyrics as she becomes familiar with the text. This book comes with a CD which is absolutely perfect for a child who is on the go all the time: in between having the story read to her, she was discovered several times looking at the pictures all by herself and singing her own version of the song, complete with sound effects!

The story is simple: Nee Naw the little fire-engine is too small to join in with the big engines, but when things go wrong and the naughty monkeys get into trouble, his brilliant idea saves the day. The vibrant colours and bold lines of the illustrations make them a source of fun and intrigue for a youngster. Miss Two kept finding new items in the pictures and gigging with excitement as she named familiar items like bananas and hoses.

Predictably, the funniest part for Miss Two was when the truck driver hurt his bottom and had to have a band-aid attached. She could not stop laughing when he had to stick his bottom in the air so it could be treated. At the same time, she was sorry for the driver when he fell, and uttered a loud "Oh no" each time we got to that bit. We all enjoyed the picture of the monkeys sliding in the banana juice - it looked like a gigantic mud slide. I could just imagine Miss Two joining the monkeys and sliding on it with them.

Part of the appeal of this book is the attention to detail. Not only did Miss Two collapse in giggles at the sight of the driver's bare buttocks, but she also liked Granny's scooter and the policeman's dress shorts which set off his hairy legs to perfection. Each time she looked at the pictures she discovered something new. So far, she has managed to negotiate the pages without damaging any of them; she is at the stage where she is happy to "read" a book on her own.

Getting into trouble is one thing that pre-schoolers are very good at, and Miss Two is no exception. Because of this, the naughty antics of the monkeys appealed to her - it was reassuring to find that they could be just as badly behaved as children. Although I am sure even Miss Two would hesitate at dancing on a policeman's head. That particular escapade might just be more trouble than it is worth. At least, we all hope so!