Summer Camp: Top Banana
Circle Round
In 'Top Banana,' a turtle and a monkey form an unlikely alliance after discovering a floating banana plant in a river. Despite their playful banter
Key takeaways
- True collaboration requires understanding each other's strengths and needs.
Main topics
- Friendship across differences
- Cooperation in nature
Notable quotes
I mean, no offense, Turtle, but your attempts are looking downright fruitless.
Conclusion
Through humor and heart, 'Top Banana' shows that even when we misjudge
Transcript preview
Speaker 1 (0:02) Hello, campers. It's your camp counselor, Erica Henningsen, with our Circle Round Summer Camp series. September is right around the corner, and that means summer camp is almost over. I know it's terrible, but have no fear. There is still so much to look forward to. Back to school, falling leaves, holidays, and we still have one more summer camp story. We're revisiting a tale to celebrate both nature and the friends that we make in the great outdoors. In today's story, we see how two creatures at odds come together because of fruit. So circle around, everyone, for Top Banana. Speaker 6 (0:56) WBUR Podcasts, Boston. Speaker 3 (1:04) Do you know what it means if you have the upper hand? Having the upper hand means you hold an advantage. You're in a stronger position or situation than someone else is. And we're about to meet a character who gets the upper hand by taking the lower half. Speaker 3 (1:28) I'm Rebecca Shear, and welcome to Circle Round, where story time happens all the time. Today, our story is called Top Banana. It was inspired by tales told in the Philippines, a country of over 7,000 islands in Southeast Asia. Speaker 3 (1:47) Some really great people came together to bring you our adaptation of this story, including Tatiana Ali and Jack DeSena. Grown-ups, you may know Tatiana Ali from The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, the original and reboot, as well as Abbott Elementary on ABC. And kids, you can hear Jack DeSena's voice in a bunch of animated TV shows, including Lego Monkey Kid, The Dragon Prince, and Avatar, The Last Airbender. So circle around, everyone. for Top Banana. It was summertime in the lush, mossy forest, and all morning long, Turtle had been sunning her brownish-red shell and skin on a big, flat rock. Speaker 4 (2:43) I'm starting to get overheated! I think I'll go for a swim in the river. Splashing around in the cool, clear water would hit the spot right now. Speaker 3 (2:54) When Turtle shuffled over to the riverbank, her bright round eyes were met with an astonishing sight. Speaker 4 (3:01) It's a banana plant! And it's in the water! Floating down the river! Speaker 3 (3:09) Indeed. With a crown of broad green leaves on one end and a spindly web of roots on the other, the banana plant was drifting downstream and heading Turtle's Way. Speaker 4 (3:22) What if Speaker 5 (3:23) I Speaker 4 (3:23) pull the banana plant out of the river? Then I bring it home and plant it in my garden. Goodness knows I love growing things. With a little love and care, that plant will be sprouting delicious bananas in no time. Speaker 3 (3:40) Turtle plunged into the water and paddled toward the banana plant. She was hoping to grip it in her claws and tug it back to shore. But the plant was heavier than she expected, and the current was stronger than she expected, and she soon found herself struggling. Speaker 4 (3:57) The plant is shore alone. Speaker 5 (4:07) You bet you do. The idea of a teeny tiny turtle carrying a banana plant to shore is, well, bananas. Speaker 3 (4:17) Turtle swiveled her gaze to the riverbank, and there was Monkey. His shaggy brown body doubled up with laughter. Speaker 5 (4:27) I mean, no offense, Turtle, but your attempts are looking downright fruitless. Get it? Fruitless? Like your attempts won't amount to anything, and what they won't specifically amount to is bananas, which is a fruit? Oh, I crack myself up. Speaker 4 (4:42) Very funny, monkey. But would you mind canning the jokes and helping me out? Canning the jokes? Speaker 5 (4:50) Is that another banana pun? Because I've never heard of eating canned banana before. It sounds kind of gross. Speaker 4 (4:57) No, Monkey. It is not a pun. It's a humble appeal. Speaker 5 (5:03) See what you did there? Appeal? Appeal? Like a banana peel? Speaker 4 (5:10) Monkey, I'm serious. Not me. Speaker 5 (5:14) I'm never serious. But fine. I'll help you. If you'll share your banana plant with me. Speaker 3 (5:22) Turtle hesitated. Monkey wasn't the brightest banana in the bunch, but his body was strong, and hers was getting weaker by the moment. Speaker 4 (5:34) All right, fine. I'll share the banana plant with you, Monkey. Now lend a hand, will you? Speaker 3 (5:42) Monkey dove into the water. He and Turtle worked together to drag the banana plant to shore before carrying it across the forest to Turtle's garden. Speaker 4 (5:52) Thanks for your help, monkey. Now, how about we put this banana plant in the earth? We'll wait for it to sprout bananas. And then, when they're all yellow and ripe, we'll share them. Speaker 5 (6:08) Okay, first of all, it would have been far funnier if you had said, we'll share the fruits of our labors. And second, I don't want to wait to get my share of the bananas. I say we split the plant in half. Speaker 4 (6:20) Right now. Split the plant in half? That is no way to share a plant, Monkey. And that is no way to treat the courageous hero who dove into a raging, roiling Speaker 5 (6:32) river to save you. I want my half, Turtle. The question is, which half? Speaker 3 (6:40) Monkey looked the banana plant up and down. When his gaze landed on the broad green leaves at the top, his face broke into a grin. Speaker 5 (6:49) The top half! I want the top half! After all, that's the part where the bananas will sprout, so it's the better one. And please, don't try convincing me that the better half should be yours, because trust me, it's not going to work. Well, actually, Speaker 3 (7:04)