MANGO, ABUELA and ME

Book Name  : Mango , Abuela and me 

Author : Meg Medina 

Illustrator : Angela Dominguez

Recommended age : 4 plus 

Mango Abuela and me was written by meg medina based on her own life experiences with her grandmother .It is a Pura Belpré honor award winner  for both the author and illustrator .With bright and expressive illustrations the story of this exceptional picture Book goes like this :

Mia belongs to a Latino  family and she lives with her papi ( father ) , Mami ( mother ) and Edmund her pet hamster . Her far-away  grandmother ( that’s how Mia calls her ) leaves her sunny house  with parrots and palm trees  to come live with Mia and her parents in the city . 

Mia shares her room with Abuela ( grandmother ) , that night Mia reads her favorite story book to Abuela , but she didn’t understand  , reason being Abuela understands and speaks only Espanol ( Spanish ) and not English . Day after day Mia finds it difficult to communicate  with Abuela . 

One day Mia decides to teach Abuela English and starts her lesson one by one , right from teaching simple words/names of things they come across everyday to  sticking word cards everywhere in the room , Mia tries to execute her work not only by teaching English but  at the same time learning Spanish from Abuela . 

But, one day her visit to a pet shop with mom to buy seeds for Edmund her hamster , gives her a better idea to make Abuela more comfortable in learning English . What idea did Mia got at the pet shop and how Abuela and Mia got along together without any barrier in communication is the rest of the story . 

Review : 

The story that tells  us the importance of a family . A story that connects well with our day to day life as a family . Grandparents  love is always special to each one of us , whatever our age is . The visual of myself teaching my grandmother how to operate a Tv remote came in every now and then while reading the story . It emphasizes the importance of communication and working together to  find a solution for the problem . 

With vivid illustrations the story conveys us a beautiful message “El amor no tiene lenguaje” ( love has no language ) .  A must have in everyone’s library.