The Mango Tree/La Mata de Mango by Edel Rodriguez. Abrams Books for Young Readers, 2024. 9781419745867
Rating: 1-5 (5 is an excellent or a Starred review) 4
Format: Hardcover
Genre: Picture book
What did you like about the book? A wordless picture book illustrates the adventures of two boys living on an island teeming with vibrant wildlife. The illustrations, by Edel Rodriguez, an internationally celebrated author and illustrator, are breathtaking. They depict tropical plants, fish, and birds filling the page. The mango tree at the center of it all is a world where the boys eat, sleep, and play together until a storm sweeps one of them away into the ocean where they are alone and scared until they reach a new land. The mango tree then becomes a symbol of rebirth and connection.
Anything you didn’t like about it? No
To whom would you recommend this book? Teachers and librarians who use wordless picture books in their classrooms. It would also work well in an immigration unit.
Who should buy this book? Elementary school libraries
Where would you shelve it? Picture book
Should we (librarians/readers) put this on the top of our “to read” piles? In the middle!
Reviewer’s Name, Library (or school), City and State: Marí Valiente, The Park School Library, Brookline, Massachusetts
Date of review: May 19, 2024
Youth Services Book Review 
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