Code Name Bananas: The hilarious and epic children’s book from multi-million bestselling author David Walliams

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I didn’t enjoy this one quite as much as the other David Walliams books I’ve read. I’m not really sure why because it was a good story but I think the pace was quite slow, felt a little bit of a slog at times. I think the toilet humours got a bit old now as well cause there tends to be some kind of poo joke in his books, which I’m sure kids love but I’m at little over it haha 😂 Per sort, aconsegueixen tocar el dos, però s'hauran de amagar en llocs ben estranys... fins i tot dins d'un submarí! Que potser s'han convertit en superespies? Madcap. Zany. Quirky. Hmm. It didn't hit the spot for me at all. The woman voicing Eric didn't help, yet another grating stereotype that didn't fit. An actual child's voice would have been nice. David has proved himself as a dramatic actor in BBC2's 'Capturing Mary' with Dame Maggie Smith, in BBC1's Agatha Christie series 'Partners In Crime', as Frankie Howerd in the biopic ‘Rather You Than Me’ for BBC4, and on the stage in Harold Pinter’s 'No Man’s Land' starring alongside Sir Michael Gambon. He received the Comedy Award at the Evening Standard Theatre Awards for his performance as Bottom in ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’ directed by Michael Grandage.

David Walliams: Code Name Bananas - The Works

Added to all this, David’s books have achieved unprecedented critical acclaim: Awful Auntie, Ratburger and Demon Dentist won the National Book Awards Children’s Book of the Year and in France David was awarded the popular Tamtam for Mr Stink and the prestigious Le Prix Du Livre De La Jeunesse for Ratburger, so it comes as no surprise that countless broadsheet reviewers have compared David to his all-time hero, Roald Dahl. As a brand, The World of David Walliams continues to grow: export sales have increased by 77% year on year with growth in every single market and David’s books are published in over 49 languages. I have said it many times before an I will say it again; Tony Ross is fantastic! The combination of Tony Ross’ fabulous illustrations and David Walliams’ wonderful story makes for the perfect Middle Grade book. I loved that this book was set during World War 2. This setting added a great opportunity for a little bit of history to be sprinkled into the story. The history that was featured in this story was interesting and made for some truly funny scenes. As well as his Children’s fiction, David has also published four number one bestselling picture books, his latest, The Bear Who went Boo! was published in November 2015 and has had total sales of over 85,000 to date. The Queen’s Orang-utan, David’s third picture book was written exclusively for Comic Relief with David giving all of his proceeds from the book to the charity.Working in a library this morning, I was talking about Walliams with a 9-year-old customer. He was surprised when I told him I hadn't really enjoyed the latest from the author, as he'd loved it. And maybe I'm doing the books a disservice, because, yes, his target audience DOES tend to love them. But that doesn't mean I need to gush and heap praise on them when I don't think it's deserved. Does it? Code Name Bananas will appeal to a lot of children. However, due to its representation of disability, I cannot recommend it.

Code Name Bananas by David Walliams | WHSmith Code Name Bananas by David Walliams | WHSmith

I agree that children should not be saddled with responsibility for adults. And yet it’s hard to read this story where the boy is naughty. His naughtiness means he’s not there to tell Grandma to go to the bomb shelter so she dies. I hoped that Grandma just forgot her trumpet and would turn up at the end, but Walliams fridges her “because plot”. Legless humorDavid Walliams said, "This book is an epic comedy adventure set in World War II with an animal at the centre of the story. I hope children will fall in love with Gertrude the gorilla. There is plenty of humour, action and excitement to delight even the most reluctant reader." David Walliams’ book as always have a lot of heart and a wonderful message, and this book is no different. I loved see this stories heroes grow and learn throughout their journey. Watching these wonderful characters overcome hardship and evolve together made for a truly wonderful reading experience. They've felt phoned-in and rushed-out for a while now. I was pleased to see another period piece here (after The Ice Monster), especially as my eldest is studying World War II at school. And there are some great war details included, so that was a positive.

Code Name Bananas by David Walliams | WHSmith

I personally found some font choices harder to read than others, especially serif fonts with “shaking” special effects. However, I think I successfully read the entire text. Little Britain’, which he co-created with Matt Lucas, started on Radio 4 and soon progressed to BBC1. The show has won numerous international awards including three BAFTAs, and now plays in over 100 countries. ‘Little Britain Live’ performed to a million people in the UK, Ireland and Australia. David and Matt followed ‘Little Britain’ with the hugely popular spoof airport documentary series 'Come Fly With Me'. Then there are the animals. Sid collects disabled animals. This menagerie serves to humanize Sid more and to provide – you guessed it – comic relief. Not to mention that they all live in his kitchen. And Sid is a recluse – he never ever has visitors, not even family – because of his menagerie. Walliams’s use of disability as comedy Along their dangerous and exciting journey, they discover a sinister Nazi plot which would destroy all of England’s defence and power in one foul swoop. Where to go? Who to trust? As increasingly thrilling characters and events are introduced the reader is taken on a roller coaster ride of emotions. This follows on from the success of Grandpa’s Great Escape, Awful Auntie, Demon Dentist, Ratburger and Gangsta Granny. All went straight to Children’s number one on release with Gangsta Granny and Billionaire Boy selling over a million copies to date.Posh zoo directors, freaky vets, terrible twins and playful animals – all this and more feature in this fast-paced tale. The reader will find themselves marvelling at the various creatures that appear in the novel and relating in some form to the grief felt by Eric. I am a massive fan of David Walliams’ book, so I was excited to get my hands on this book. I am happy to say that this book was just as awesome as I had hoped it would be. Gorillas are the largest of the great apes, but sadly they are critically endangered because of habitat loss and poaching. Discover the super special friendship between a little boy and a huge gorilla that just might save the day!