BANANA DREAM

An Iraqi boy growing up during the Gulf War comes to terms with his name.

Mooz dislikes his name, which means banana in Arabic. His classmates mock him because he’s named after a fruit considered strange. Bananas can’t grow in Iraq’s desert climate, and they become impossible to find during the war, when international sanctions reduce most families’ groceries to carefully rationed basics like tea, flour, rice, and beans. But everything changes when Mooz asks his mother how she chose his name and she tells him the story of his birth. After years of being unable to get pregnant, she dreamed that she was feeding a baby a banana. After she told Mooz’s father about the dream, he drove for hours to find her a banana, and soon after, Mooz was born. After hearing this story, Mooz becomes proud of his name and defends it from his teasing classmates. When the Gulf War ends, bananas are plentiful in Iraq, and Mooz at last tries his first banana. This vibrantly illustrated picture book introduces children to the toll of war through a relatable experience: learning the meaning of one’s name. Mooz emerges as a fully formed, layered character, while the Iraq setting is richly drawn. The stylized artwork has an appropriately dreamy feel in places. (This book was reviewed digitally.)

What’s in a name? Plenty, as this clever and poignant tale makes clear.