Synopses & Reviews
Sareen's first sit-up is about to begin. In the Jamaican village where she lives, it is customary to celebrate the life of a loved one who recently died. Sareen wants to honor her Nana, but she's worried that she will burst into tears when she gets up in front of everyone to tell her stories. However, she discovers that sharing her warm and funny anecdotes about Nana--and her passion for mangoes--helps lift the sadness so that she can later participate in the Kooma, a celebratory dance. Filled with vivid details of Jamaican life and customs, A SEASON FOR MANGOES is a heartwarming story about accepting loss and remembering joy.
Review
"Children will connect with...a powerful story about a young person's...own personal goodbye to a beloved grandparent." BOOKLIST
Review
"Rich, naturalistic, full-color oil paintings...genuine emotion, details of life, and focus on the value of storytelling." SLJ
Review
"[A] gentle story . . . readers will learn much about the love of family, customs, and foods in the Jamaican culture." KIRKUS
Review
"Children will connect with...a powerful story about a young person's...own personal goodbye to a beloved grandparent." BOOKLIST Booklist, ALA
"[A] gentle story . . . readers will learn much about the love of family, customs, and foods in the Jamaican culture." KIRKUS Kirkus Reviews
"The text offers an opening for discussing mourning rituals and practicing telling stories of lost loved ones." BCCB Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books
"Rich, naturalistic, full-color oil paintings...genuine emotion, details of life, and focus on the value of storytelling." SLJ School Library Journal
Synopsis
Sareen is attending her first sit-up, a Jamaican tradition that celebrates the life of a loved one who has died. The whole village has come to share memories of Sareens Nana. Sareen wants to tell her stories of Nanas last mango season and their search for the perfect mango, but shes afraid the words wont come or that shell begin to cry. Its only when Sareen faces her fear that she realizes its not the sadness of Nanas death that shell remember best but the joy of Nanas life.
Set amid the rich culture and lush scenery of Jamaica, this moving book offers the hope of rediscovering joy after a loss and pays tribute to the remarkable power of story: to touch, to connect, and to heal.
About the Author
Regina Hanson is the author of The Tangerine Tree and The Face at the Window, winner of the Américas Award for Children's Literature. Born and raised in Jamaica, West Indies, she now lives in Boulder, Colorado.