When I saw today’s Perfect Picture Book featured on a recent blog post, I knew it was one I had to read and share. Luckily, I won a copy (note, there was no requirement or expectation that I would review the book, but when you read my review, you’ll understand why I couldn’t resist doing so).
Title: How to Eat a Mango
Written By: Paola Santos
Illustrated By: Juliana Perdomo
Publisher/Date: Neal Porter Books/2024
Suitable for Ages: 4-8
Themes/Topics: intergenerational, mangoes, cultural heritage, fruit, gardening
Opening:
Today, Abuelita makes me help pick mangoes from her tree.
I have to toss away all the rotten mangoes while she piles the ripe ones high and hums with delight.
She takes a bite and offers me one…
“Guácala. I don’t like eating mangoes!” I say, stepping away.
Brief Synopsis: A young narrator who doesn’t like eating mangoes learns to appreciate them when her mango-loving Abuelita shares five steps to eating them.
Links to Resources:
· Check out the Educator’s Guide;
· Download these coloring sheets;
· Try these kid-friendly mango recipes;
· Learn more about these tasty fruits at the Mango Board’s website.
Why I Like this Book:
I love books that feature a grandparent sharing her or his culture with a grandchild. And when that culture includes a tasty treat, especially one that’s a favorite of my own grandson, I truly can’t resist it.
In How to Eat a Mango, readers meet Carmencita, the book’s narrator, who wants nothing to do with mangoes. It’s clear at the outset that Carmencita loves and respects her Abuelita, but Carmencita does not share Abuelita’s love of mangoes. Picky eaters of all ages will relate to that!
Rather than lecturing Carmencita about the benefits of this tropical fruit, wise Abuelita shows her their benefits in five steps, using five senses. I love how Abuelita creates anticipation and draws on Carmencita’s senses and emotions to entice her to reevaluate her attitude about mangoes. And I love the underlying message that eating is so much more than just satisfying hunger; it’s also the rich cultural and family traditions that underlie each food.
In my family, my two year-old grandson is the mango lover. My husband also adores them, having eaten many straight from the trees when visiting relatives. I, however, never heard of mangoes until I was an adult, and I am much less keen to eat them. But when my grandson recently fed me a bite of his mango, I must admit that it tasted much better than any I had tried before.
Perdomo’s joyful, tropical-colored illustrations transport readers to a land where mangoes hang from trees, and abuelitas and their grandchildren relish time spent together. I heartily recommend reading How to Eat a Mango together with your loved ones.
A Note about Craft:
In A Note from the Author, readers learn that How to Eat a Mango draws on Santos’ own childhood experiences in Venezuela. Written in the present tense using first-person point-of-view, Santos draws readers into the story, helping us feel part of the tropical scene.
This Perfect Picture Book entry is being added to Susanna Hill’s Perfect Picture Book list. Check out the other great picture books featured there!
Wander, Ponder, Write 