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.

The World of David Walliams Play - The World of David Walliams

Walliams' books] are brilliantly, beautifully and seemingly effortlessly written - Mr Dahl finally has a Code Name Bananas is ondanks de setting in Wereld Oorlog II vrij onschuldig qua taalgebruik en qua aard. En toch spannend. Eric is nog vrij recent een wees geworden - allemaal door de oorlog die gaande is. Hij woont nu bij zijn oma en bezoekt graag zijn oom in de dierentuin van Londen. Dat doet hij overigens stiekem - zijn oom werkt daar en zo besparen ze geld. Hij helpt zijn oom met de dieren en heeft een speciale band gekregen met Gorilla Gertrude. Wanneer er bombardementen gehouden worden, vindt Eric dat het tijd is voor actie. Wat er volgt is een spannend avontuur om Gertrude te redden en veilig te houden in oorlogstijd.Londen, 1940. Brittanje is in oorlog met Nazi-Duitsland gewikkel. Die 11-jarige Eric woon by sy ouma nadat hy beide ouers in die oorlog verloor het; sy pa het gesterf toe ‘n torpedo die skip, HMS Grafton, getref het, en sy ma toe ‘n bom haar werksplek verwoes het. Ouma is streng en effe doof en maak gebruik van ‘n gehoortrompet, maar Eric, ‘n kort seuntjie met bakore en ‘n gekraakte bril, is nietemin baie lief vir haar. Sy gunsteling plek is egter die dieretuin waar sy grootoom, Sid, die opsigter is. Oom Sid het in die Eerste Wêreldoorlog albei bene verloor en moet nou oor die weg kom met ‘n geroeste paar blikbene wat aardige geluide maak. Hy en Eric deel ‘n groot liefde vir diere, veral vir Gertrude, die gorilla. Wanneer haar lewe in gevaar is, huiwer hulle dus vir geen oomblik om haar te probeer red nie. Hulle avonture met Gertrude van Londen tot by ‘n verlate kusdorpie, agtervolg deur polisie en gekonfronteer deur Nazi-spioene, al die pad tot by Downingstraat 10, word op ‘n skreeusnaakse wyse in hierdie heerlike dik boek (amper 500 bladsye) vir lesers van ses jaar en ouer vertel. Shy, gentle, peaceful animals, they live in the forests of central, sub-Saharan Africa, including Rwanda, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Uganda. David 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." As Nazi bombs fall, Eric realises his friend needs saving and rescues Gertrude from the zoo with help from Uncle Sid. The three of them hide out at the seaside, but soon they stumble upon a top-secret Nazi plot that will require all their wits and bravery to stop. There are three types of gorilla – the eastern lowland, western lowland and mountain gorilla. All stuff themselves with up to 30kg of leaves, stems and fruit each day, but some also eat insects, snails and tree bark!

Code Name Bananas - David Walliams - Google Books Code Name Bananas - David Walliams - Google Books

Filled with wonderful illustrations by Tony Ross and the magical storytelling that never fails to leave little ones flushed with adventure; Code Name Bananas is an unmissable read for Christmas 2020. David Walliam’s latest children’s book, Code Name Bananas is a heart-warming tale of overcoming grief, parental death, living in war and animal kindness. David Walliam’s history as an actor, writer and comedian is evident in the way the story is told. From funny jokes to thrilling suspense the author has kept the reader in a constant state of excitement and joy. year-old Eric lives in 1940 London where each night brings more of the deadly destruction caused by the Nazi bombers. With London Zoo becoming unsafe, Eric and Uncle Sid attempt to rescue their gorilla friend Gertrude from certain death. Now forced onto the run they must protect and disguise their hunted gorilla ally. 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. During a crazy war between Britain andNazi Germany, eleven-year-old Eric decides he will spend his days at the place he loves most... London Zoo. But there is one animal in particular that Eric adores most - Gertude the Gorilla! Withbombs falling down overLondon, Eric must rescue Gertrude before it's too late.Een goed volgbaar verhaal in grote letters, met geluiden in grotere en speelse lettertypes tussendoor. Hier en daar staan illustraties en de hoofdstukken zijn ingedeeld als ware ze onderdeel van een geheim dossier. Fijn is dat er achterin een stukje staat met wat niet-fictieve feitjes over de 2de Wereldoorlog. Vrij simpel verhaal dat veel kinderen zal aanspreken, en verfrissend omdat de focus echt ligt op de avonturen met de gorilla ipv een realistischer oorlogsbeeld wat in de meeste oorlogsboeken geschetst wordt. Onthoud dus dat dit vooral een fantasie is over dieren, maar dan gezet in een historische setting. Eleven-year-old Eric spends his days at the place that makes him most happy: London Zoo. And there's one animal in particular he loves: Gertrude the gorilla.

Code Name Bananas by David Walliams - Dark Matter Zine Code Name Bananas by David Walliams - Dark Matter Zine

Grandma is also initially portrayed as quite awful despite the undercurrent that carers might notice: she’s angry because she loves Eric and wants to keep him safe. It’s not until just before she dies that Walliams fleetingly reframes Grandma from cranky scary old person to loving Grandma. Then she’s dead. Armistice Day: A Collection of Remembrance - Spark Interest and Educate Children about Historical Moments Orphaned by the war, Eric has few friends but Gertrude, a gorilla at London Zoo, and her keeper, his uncle Sid. The German bombs end up causing Gertrude to escape her cage, which in turns means the owner of the zoo determines to have her put down (yep, it's a bit forced), so the three of them decide the best course of action is to run away. Cue a big country-wide chase, and lots of female clothing. And a final act involving two not-at-all suspicious old ladies in a dilapidated seaside boarding house. 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 humor With the help of hisUncle Sid and a friendlykeeper at the zoo, the three go on the run to save their amazing Gorilla friend! Until... oh no! The ganguncover a top-secret Nazi plot...

David Walliams Press Reviews

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. Code Name Bananas is the latest David Walliams book to hit our shelves, promising an action adventure full of hilarious moments and unforgettable characters for 2020.