Benji and the 24 Pound Banana Squash by Alan C. Fox is a story for anyone who has ever had a dream of doing something really, really big. Benji wants to grow the biggest banana squash ever. In spring, when the soil is soft, he plants the seeds he has saved from the previous summer. He waters and waits, anxiously watching over the plant as the tiny squash begins to grow. Each day he lovingly measures its progress. On harvest day, the squash has grown so gigantic from all his love and attention that Benji can barely carry it. When the squash is cooked up with butter and brown sugar, everyone in the family enjoys a mouth-watering, homegrown treat. This charming garden-to-table story not only teaches children where food comes from, but also that patience and nurturing pay off with delicious rewards.

Benji and the 24 Pound Banana Squash is a story about patience, and how caring for something makes the reward all the sweeter. Benji is eager to grow the biggest banana squash ever, but he needs to be patient because nature is not always quick. I love that the story shows him being taught persistence and responsibility for the plant, rather than him just being that way. His eagerness, and occasional frustration with the time and effort involved is honest and real. I thought the illustrations were lovely, and added an extra layer to the story.

Benji and the 24 Pound Banana Squash is a perfect pick for families, story times, and classrooms that are gardening with children or trying to show the effort that goes into growing our food. I can think of many great classroom or homeschooling projects that would go well with this book, although it does work wonderfully as a simple, fun read to share as well.

Cute and a fun read. Young readers will enjoy the pictures and story. Older readers will enjoy finding engage images to talk about.

A really fun and beautifully illustrated book - my five year old loved it!

Cute story but seemed to be missing some details. Still, cute concept of having a goal, waiting patiently, amd seeing your goal through to the end.

Benji was a great story of patience and perseverance on the part of a young boy who wanted to grow a squash. He did just what he should do to help his seed grow and then walked and waited. His patience paid off as he ended up with a 24 pound squash!

This story was a light hearted take on what it means to persevere. Benji planted a banana squash from seeds in hopes of having the biggest banana squash ever. Through a lot of waiting and patience, we see that at the end he has truly reached his goals.

This sweet book sees Benji wanting to plant a banana squash in his yard, and when the conditions are right this is just what he does. Benji watches for it to grown, day by day waiting for the small sign that his squash is growing, tenderly caring for it with water and care. As the squash grows, so does Benji's excitement as he touched it and smelt it and love it each and every day.

This book is a great lesson in patience as we watch Benji waiting for his squash to grow. It shows children how important it is to look after something and care for it.

I like that the book is about gardening and talks about planting. It is great for children to see that they can achieve things such as growing food like Benji does. It teaches children that they are capable and about food starting from a seed, growth and then on the plate in the kitchen; a process often unseen for a lot of children.

The book would suit 3 year olds and above because there are quite a few words in it,. The book will make a great conversation starter with your child or student and would make a good book to read before starting a garden project with your child.

Overall, it is a lovely book that many children will be able to learn from.

Since learning that he could grow a banana squash like the ones that he finds in the grocery store with his Mom Benji has not stopped dreaming of the one that he would grow. His hope is that it would be the biggest banana squash. Along the way Benji develops patience while his squash slowly grows each day. Finally, with his dreams realized, Benji's squash is taken from the vine and weighed--24 pounds?! Should they keep it? Eating it is probably more delightful!

The illustrations were fun and the main character was a sweet boy full of expectancy and delight--making it a sweet read.

What gardener hasn’t eagerly waited for the seeds they sprouted to push up through the soil. Benji and the 24 Pound Banana Squash by Alan C. Fox capturing the spirit of that to a T. I am sure that there are many children who live in big cities, who will learn how the grocery produce is grown from this book. However, children who live in rural areas will love this book just as much.

The illustrations are delightful. I especially liked Benji’s expressions of hope and wonder. When he is ready to harvest the banana squash, real wisdom is shown; some things in life are best enjoyed in the moment.

Delightful book that I enjoyed along with my grandson, who then wanted to go outside to plant something. What a wonderful thing to inspire in a child.

Lovely well-spaced pages, with delightful illustrations and big white spaces for the text - this always makes it much easier to read, than text on colour. That being said, the text is a little on the small side. A very simple story of having a dream (in this case, Benji growing a squash) and having the determination and patience to see it through. It's a great message to give to children ages 4 and up, as is the intended readership of this book.

This sweet story is beautifully illustrated. Many kids (and even adults) will easily relate to the impatience felt waiting for something to grow. In this book, Benji has been planning for months to grow a large squash, so his anticipation is even higher. Children will see that through careful tending and patience, beautiful things can eventually grow out of seemingly nothing. This would be a nice gift to a family with small children, a grandparent, or a preschool/kindergarten classroom.

I loved this book! The illustrations are totally adorable. Just looking through them made me feel great. It made me feel summer and the fun with pets and living things when it is warm outside. I loved the loving and encouraging parents and how Benji took such pride in growing something of his own. I feel it is important for people to try to grow things that they can and find the appreciation for growing your own healthy food. To see how life grows and changes. loved it.

Cute book about patience. The little boy learns about collecting seeds, planting, taking care, growing and eating the squash. It has fun Illustrations.

I received this ARC from Netgalley for an honest review.
Benji has been waiting since last summer to plant his banana squash seeds. He digs up the dirt and then plants his seeds. He wants to grow the biggest banana squash ever. He waits and waits and waits and finally the plant sprouts from the ground and soon blossoms. I liked the illustrations in this book too.

Such an interesting read that engaged science lessons on gardening in a story!

Adorable picture book with beautiful illustrations. After waiting all winter to plant a seed in a special place in the garden, a little boy's dream of growing a huge banana squash comes true. He waits for a sprout, watches as it flowers and bears fruit. He measures it as it grows big. And finally, the family enjoys a delicious meal, but not before preserving this dream come true with a photograph. For little gardeners and dreamers.

Benji loves Banana Squash. When he plants some seeds that were saved from a previous squash he learns all about taking care of something he is growing. He waters it and as the squash grows he uses sticks to measure it. When it is finally big enough, his father convinces him that it is time to eat his huge squash. Benji learns not only how to take care of a garden but has to develop patience. He has big dreams about his squash, hoping it will be the biggest ever. A cute story to read with kids who might be working on a garden with their parents as well as to teach children where food comes from. The illustrations are cute and colourful. A great book for a family library or a classroom or school.

The theme of this book is Dream Big, but it could also be Patience is Rewarded, or From Garden to Table. It's a simple, lovely story about Benji, who plants squash seeds under his mother's guidance. After weeks of careful tending in his backyard, he harvests a 24-pound squash, proudly carries it into the house, and it is prepared for dinner. The drawings are beautiful, with a touch of humor (loved the little caterpillar!).

According to a June 2017 Washington Post article, fewer than half of grade school-level urban children understand that grocery store food comes from farms, or have even visited a farm. If you live in the city, or if your child is interested in gardening, be sure to pick up a copy of this book,

A little kid is anxious to get his squash seeds planted, but when he finally does he just stares at the dirt, expecting it to grow right away, not having been told before this that such things don’t work instantaneously. Finally, after many weeks, things happen.
All the cute little animals watch, none of them taking a bite of the squash, though the ladybug does like riding it. He wants to keep what he’s grown, but that’s obviously not a good idea, so dad takes a photo and then they eat it with butter and brown sugar, which as we all know will make anything taste good. Even the dog has some. . . and speaking of the dog, the funniest part of this story is the drawing of the woof lying in a hammock.
Cute story, designed to inform little ones as to how vegetables grow, with a subtle environmental message.