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HOW TO EAT A MANGO

Name: HOW TO EAT A MANGO
Author: Paola Santos
ISBN: 9780823453887

by Paola Santos ; illustrated by Juliana Perdomo ‧ RELEASE DATE: July 16, 2024

A heartwarming—and delectable—narrative that readers will treasure.

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A ripe mango is so much more than just a delicious fruit.

Abuelita tasks Carmen, a young Latine girl, with picking mangoes. Carmen isn’t pleased with the chore; she doesn’t like mangoes—they’re too sticky, and the fibers get stuck between her teeth! But Abuelita urges Carmen to truly look at and listen to the mango tree and its fruit. The wind blowing through the leaves of the tree makes Carmen think of her mother’s singing, while the stirring roots, which seem to call out “¡Gracias! Thank you!” to Mamá Earth, remind Carmen of how she gives thanks at bedtime. And Carmen learns to see herself and Abuelita in the tree’s tall branches: “We are strong, too! You can carry me, and we can carry fruits.” With more reflection and a lesson on how to peel a ripe mango, Carmen delights in the fruit and the time spent with her grandmother. Santos’ supple text is accompanied by Perdomo’s exuberant artwork, which makes beautiful use of visual metaphor: As Abuelita speaks to the joy of eating a mango, we see juice spurt out from her mouth while miniature people cavort (“Tiny strings play between your teeth, and the songs of our people dance on your tongue”). Readers will appreciate the warmth and wisdom woven throughout this touching story of discovery and familial love.

A heartwarming—and delectable—narrative that readers will treasure. (author’s note) (Picture book. 3-7)

Pub Date: July 16, 2024

ISBN: 9780823453887

Page Count: 40

Publisher: Neal Porter/Holiday House

Review Posted Online: April 5, 2024

Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 2024

Categories:

CHILDREN'S SOCIAL THEMES | CHILDREN'S FAMILY

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CARPENTER'S HELPER

by Sybil Rosen ; illustrated by Camille Garoche ‧ RELEASE DATE: March 16, 2021

Renata’s wren encounter proves magical, one most children could only wish to experience outside of this lovely story.

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A home-renovation project is interrupted by a family of wrens, allowing a young girl an up-close glimpse of nature.

Renata and her father enjoy working on upgrading their bathroom, installing a clawfoot bathtub, and cutting a space for a new window. One warm night, after Papi leaves the window space open, two wrens begin making a nest in the bathroom. Rather than seeing it as an unfortunate delay of their project, Renata and Papi decide to let the avian carpenters continue their work. Renata witnesses the birth of four chicks as their rosy eggs split open “like coats that are suddenly too small.” Renata finds at a crucial moment that she can help the chicks learn to fly, even with the bittersweet knowledge that it will only hasten their exits from her life. Rosen uses lively language and well-chosen details to move the story of the baby birds forward. The text suggests the strong bond built by this Afro-Latinx father and daughter with their ongoing project without needing to point it out explicitly, a light touch in a picture book full of delicate, well-drawn moments and precise wording. Garoche’s drawings are impressively detailed, from the nest’s many small bits to the developing first feathers on the chicks and the wall smudges and exposed wiring of the renovation. (This book was reviewed digitally with 10-by-20-inch double-page spreads viewed at actual size.)

Renata’s wren encounter proves magical, one most children could only wish to experience outside of this lovely story. (Picture book. 3-7)

Pub Date: March 16, 2021

ISBN: 978-0-593-12320-1

Page Count: 40

Publisher: Schwartz & Wade/Random

Review Posted Online: Jan. 12, 2021

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2021

Categories:

CHILDREN'S ANIMALS | CHILDREN'S SOCIAL THEMES | CHILDREN'S FAMILY

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HOW TO CATCH A MAMASAURUS

From the How To Catch… series

by Alice Walstead ; illustrated by Andy Elkerton ‧ RELEASE DATE: March 5, 2024

A syrupy tribute to mothers that may please fans of the series.

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Another creature is on the loose.

The long-running series continues its successful formula with this Hallmark card of a book, which features bright illustrations and catchy rhymes. This time, the mythical creature the racially diverse children set out to catch is an absent mom who does it all (lists of descriptors include the words banker, caregiver, nurse, doctor, driver, chef, housekeeper, teacher, entertainer, playmate, laundry service, problem solver, handywoman, cleaner, and alarm clock) but doesn’t seem to have a job outside the home and is inexplicably a dinosaur. As the children prepare gifts and a meal for her, the text becomes an ode to the skills the Mamasaurus possesses (“Day or night she’s always there. / She meets every wish and need”) and values she instills (“Sometimes life can mean hard work,” “kindness matters,” and “what counts is doing your best”). This well-intentioned selection veers into cliche generously sprinkled with saccharine but manages to redeem itself with its appreciation for mothers and all that they may do. Endpapers include a “to” and “from” page framed in a heart, as well as a page where young gift givers or recipients can draw a picture of their Mamasaurus.