Fans of If You Give a Mouse a Cookie will feel right at home with If You Make a Call on a Banana Phone. Both books use a playful chain-reaction structure where one small action leads to another, creating humor, curiosity, and endless opportunities for students to predict what will happen next.
The story begins when a child pretends to use a banana as a phone and calls a gorilla. From there, one silly call leads to another, and readers are swept into a series of funny, unexpected events that grow more ridiculous and delightful with every page. What starts as simple pretend play quickly becomes a joyful exploration of imagination and connection.
The Good
This book is a wonderful choice for early literacy, sequencing, and SEL. The repetitive structure, predictable pattern, and escalating silliness make it ideal for interactive read-alouds.
From a classroom and library perspective, this book supports:
-
Oral language and storytelling
-
Imaginative play
-
Sequencing and cause-and-effect
-
Social connection and friendship
There is also a sweet SEL layer underneath the humor — the idea of reaching out, starting a conversation, and making a new friend, even in a silly way.
Compare & Contrast Connection
Just like If You Give a Mouse a Cookie, this story follows a chain-reaction pattern. One event causes the next, which makes it perfect for teaching:
-
Cause and effect
-
Story structure
-
Predicting outcomes
Teachers can read both books and ask:
-
What happens first?
-
What happens next?
-
How does each small action change the story?
Students quickly begin to recognize patterns while still enjoying the humor.
Classroom & Library Activities
Banana Phone SEL Activity
Give students a pretend banana phone (or a paper cut-out) and let them practice:
-
Saying hello
-
Asking a question
-
Starting a friendly conversation
This supports communication skills and confidence in a playful, low-pressure way.
Class Book
Create a shared book titled:
“If I Made a Call on a Banana Phone…”
Each student draws and writes who they would call and what would happen next.
Compare the Books
Use a Venn diagram or chart to compare If You Give a Mouse a Cookie and If You Make a Call on a Banana Phone. Students can track how one event leads to another in both stories.
The Not-So-Good (From a School Librarian Lens)
Because the story is so playful and convincing, some younger students might momentarily wonder whether a banana could really work as a phone. This creates a wonderful opportunity to talk about fiction vs. nonfiction and how stories sometimes imagine things that aren’t real.
Taking a moment to clarify what’s pretend and what’s real helps strengthen early media literacy and story understanding.
Overall
If You Make a Call on a Banana Phone is a joyful, imaginative picture book that blends humor with learning. It invites students to laugh, predict, connect, and see how stories — and friendships — can grow from one small idea.
Recommended Grade Levels
PreK–2
(Also works well for K–3 as an interactive read-aloud.)
Why Your Students Will Love It
Kids love the silliness of using a banana as a phone and the surprise of who answers on the other end. The playful tone, funny twists, and chance to act out the story make this a book students will want to hear again and again.
No comments