All notes in these pages are written by Nikki Gamble, Associate Consultant, London Institute of Education and Director, Write Away

Bananas are a reading series which provide quality stories for a range of readers. These books are designed for independent reading but many of the titles are also suitable for use in school for guided reading. The books are written by good authors and well illustrated. Although designed to look like a series, they provide a great deal of variety in terms of genres, authors and illustrations. They are attractively produced with quality colour illustrations and are written in good natural language without the controlled vocabulary of some reading schemes. Because of the variation in demand and the difference in expectation between each of the colour strands, the series is not intended to be used as a scheme. However, the books provide valuable and enjoyable reading practice for children at the appropriate level and usefully support children’s growing independence as readers.

Banana books and independent reading – at home and school

The variety of authors and genres within the series is very useful in terms of making links with other reading and also of extending children’s reading experience and knowledge. For parents reading at home, it is useful for children to help them make these links, by referring back to books which children have previously read by the same author or looking for other books by the same author in the library or bookshop.

Banana books and school guided reading

Banana books are an extremely useful resource for guided reading. The length of the books and the use of simple chapters in the books for more experienced readers make them ideal for reading in guided sessions. For guidance on Guided Reading teachers are directed to the following:

KS1 and Transition to KS2

http://www.standards.dfes.gov.uk/primary/publications/literacy/63489/

For KS2

Angela Hobsbaum, Nikki Gamble and David Reedy (2006) Guiding Reading at KS2 University of London, Institute of Education