Just So Stories

Scholastic Australia

September 2025

ISBN: 9781761528903

RRP: $19.99

This has long been one of my favourite read-alouds and, certainly, my favourite Aaron Blabey book. I have such great memories of sharing it the year it came out with The Kid, in that first year she was living with me [and we so often needed to laugh instead of cry] and it wasn’t just one of her most-requested bedtime reads. I distinctly remember this being my choice for that year’s Pyjamarama event at MBC and it was a huge hit with both parents and girls.

I really don’t think I need to describe it to any of you, but I do think that everyone would need an updated edition after all this time, and the many reads it would have had.

And who wouldn’t want this new one with the super shiny iridescent holographic style binding!!? I’m in love with it!

The only thing you really need to remember with this one is to do the voices properly – it’s all in the voices! And the habitual explosion of laughter for the last page is always just magical!

‘Hey there, guys. Would you like a banana?’ ‘What’s wrong with you. Brian? You’re a piranha.’ Brian loves bananas. Trouble is, Brian’s a piranha. And his friends aren’t happy about his fondness for fruit. No, they’re not happy at all.

From start to finish it’s a crack-up that all kids, both Smalls and Not-So-Smalls ,love so much, that IMO no collection, either library, classroom or home, should be without it. A very goofy 5 🍌🍌🍌🍌🍌rating for this shot of absurd hilarity.