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.

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,

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.

My kids love gardening. My 6 year old asks to plant seeds on a daily basis and checks on her plants all day long, nothing gets her as excited as seeing a new sprout in the garden. She really related to Benji and got excited to see his squash grow. The cute illustrations were fun to look at, we especially loved the adorable worm.

Benji and the 24 Pound Banana Squash is a great book to get kids excited about gardening and teach them about where food comes from and the slow, joyful process of growing it.

This book is a very cute introduction to gardening and showing kids the process of growing something from start to finish.