Julie and the Mango Tree

by Sade Smith, Sayada Ramdial (Illustrations)

Coupled with Sayada Ramdial’s bright and colorful artwork, this lively picture book written by Sadé Smith will have readers of all ages giggling—and craving a mango of their own!

Julie loves all kind of fruit, but mangoes are her absolute favorite. One sticky summer afternoon, Julie goes to the big mango tree in her yard to ask for a snack.

But no matter how nicely she asks or how patient she tries to be, the tree just won’t drop a single sweet, juicy mango! Will Julie ever be able to convince the tree to let her have just a taste of her favorite treat?

Genres: Picture Books, Food, Childrens, Fiction, Family, Environment

32 pages, Hardcover

First published August 8, 2023

About the author

Born in Toronto, Ontario, Sadé Smith is a Canadian children’s book author of Jamaican descent. She loves to write stories that will allow your imagination to take you away. Her books often involve food and recipes for readers to enjoy along with vibrant illustrations to capture the colors of the Caribbean islands.

In addition to writing, she is also a designer/technologist who practices the skilled trades and home renovations. She can swing a hammer as well as she can swing a pen!
She is the author of Granny's Kitchen and Julie and the Mango Tree.

Reviews

[Magaly | Catchy Book Nook]

As a mango-loving household, it was impossible not to connect with Julie on her fruit preference. This book is simple in its storytelling and colorful in its visuals. My two little ones loved the silly elements of the book as well as seeing Julie thinking of others. Recommending this one!

[Kara (Books.and.salt) · Rating 5 out of 5]

The kids and I LOVED this super sweet picture book set in Jamaica!!! The illustrations in this book are stunning - with bright colors that jump off the page and make Julie's mangos look like the most refreshing thing on the planet. We were all craving mangos by the end of this one!!

[Tianna ❀ · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is such a cute children's story that everyone can enjoy. Love the Jamaican rep and the illustrations are very beautiful. If you have kids/ siblings/cousins, definitely get this!

[Shannon Bedore · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a wonderful children's book that exposes young readers to Jamaican culture and teaches them an important lesson about patience. The story is all about Julie, who absolutely loves mangoes and very desperately wants one from her backyard's mango tree. Unfortunately, she is too short to reach and pick one off the branches herself, so she must wait patiently for one to fall from the tree. The day that she decides to wait outside is very long and tests her patience to the max. She tries everything to try to get the tree to spare a mango from her, such as attempting to climb it, offering a trade of some June plums from a smaller tree for a mango, more bargaining, singing a special mango song, and kindly asking for a mango while giving the tree a tree hug. Still, she went back inside at night for dinner empty-handed, which made her a little sad. The next morning, though, there was a thunderstorm and when Julie went outside to the mango tree after, she was shocked to find the ground full of mangoes that fell from the tree. Julie finally got to indulge in what she so patiently waited for, but she quickly became full with a stomach ache after eating as many mangoes as she could. Since she didn't want to waste the extra mangoes, she brainstormed many ideas like feeding them to ants, building a fort, and juggling, until she finally came up with the generous thought of giving them away to neighbors who maybe didn't get as many fallen ones from their tree after the storm.

I would use this book in my classroom during any read-aloud session because the story teaches children a great lesson about patience and generosity. They will enjoy rooting for Julie, but also can be inspired by her willingness to wait for her reward and her decision to share when she has plenty of mangoes to spare. The vibrant illustrations will also appeal to children and help them stay more focused on the story I think, which is why I would pick this for a read-aloud too.

[Bookishrealm · Rating 4 out of 5]

Such a lovely picture book that reminds me of the times I spent with my grandmother in Jamaica. I, too, had this thing for mangos. Unfortunately, I think I ate so many that now I only eat a couple a year. As always, Smith exhibits fun and creative writing and Ramdial has beautiful, vibrant illustrations. I loved that the story encourages perseverance and creativity while also fostering a sense of community. Overall, a great read with some great mango recipes in the back. Great selection for any foodie!

[Anita Yasuda · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Julie lived on a tiny island called Jamaica, which has so many fruit trees, it would be impossible to count them all."

Can you guess which fruit Julie's favorite is? Mangoes, of course. Our protagonist faces a sweet problem. No mangoes have fallen. What's a resourceful person to do? Will the mango tree drop a sweet treasure for Julie? You'll have to read this delightful picture book with the little ones in your life to find out.

The gorgeous illustrations, full of colour and movement, complement the text.

[Pam · Rating 4 out of 5]

Julie loves mangos and is lucky enough to have a mango tree in her front yard. One day she craves one but none have fallen. She tries all sorts of ways to convince the tree to drop just one mango to no avail. Then a rainstorm comes and all the mangos fall. Julie eats her fill and tries to figure out what to do with the rest. I love the solution to share them with others. Brightly colored illustrations capture the spirit of this story and the colors of Jamaica.

[Lissette Norman · Rating 5 out of 5]

First, I must state that the illustrations are gorgeous, and the cover art is sure to grab young readers’ attention. This is a sweet story about a young Jamaican girl, Julie, who loves mangoes, and goes to great lengths to get the tree to drop one for her. In the end, readers will see that Julie’s not only patient, but thoughtful and generous with her precious mangoes. I enjoyed this book and highly recommend it!

[Mia Martinez]

'Julie and the Mango Tree' is a book that teaches patience. What initially drew me to the book was the bigger illustrations and the title. The main character wants to eat a mango from her tree but she doesn't know that the mangos need time to ripen. The illustrations throughout the story are colorful and full of emotion. The intended audience would be second grade students. I would include this book within my classroom because it teaches the importance of patience. I loved it

[Cheriee Weichel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Julie really wants her mango tree to drop one mango for her. She waits patiently, cajoles the tree and even tries trading four plums for one mango. Alas, she ends up going to bed empty handed. When a storm blows an over abundance of mangos into her yard she has to come up with a plan for what to do with them.
I loved so much about this book. I loved the generosity, Julie's patience, and her attachment to her tree.
This book made me wish I wish I had a mango tree in my back yard. After looking at the recipes in the back matter, I'm going to have to add mangos to my shopping list.

[Margaret Boling · Rating 4 out of 5]

1/13/2024 ~ Engaging illustrations. The joy of a summer treat. The frustration of waiting for fruit's natural cycle (not dropping when a child is ready for it. The creativity of giving back to the community.

[Kamaria Swan · Rating 5 out of 5]

My 4-year old daughter loves this book. First of all, we love mangos, so she was delighted to learn a little more about where mangos come from and what we can do with them. Plus, the illustrations are beautiful! This picture book is perfect for young readers.

[Lynnette · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a cute little story! The illustrations are equally as adorable. My 19-month loves it and also grew to love eating the fruit itself. It does have more words on a page than a one year would probably sit through.

[Aolund · Rating 4 out of 5]

A celebration of mangos and sharing.

Themes: Mangos, Sharing, Trees
Age range: Kindergarten-Elementary

[Elizabeth]

I love the bright colors in this book!

[Lynda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a cute and thoughtful main character and the illustrations really pop and transport the reader to lush, Jamaica.

[Jane · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was an ok book.

[Alexandria · Rating 4 out of 5]

The illustrations are so vivid, I can almost taste the mangoes. A sweet book about a girl who wants a mango but gets more than she bargained for. Great message about sharing good fortune.

[Terresa Wellborn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sweet book about a Jamaican girl who just wants a mango. As they say, you better watch what you ask for...

Themes: mangoes, culture (Jamaica)
Ages: 1-3rd grade
Pub year: 2023

[Addia Ochweri · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book was cute, I liked how Julie is a girl of color and it talks about where she is from. But it also talks about Julie love for mangos as well in the book.

[Celia Correa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Julie loves mangos but becomes impatient when they don't fall from the tree. How will she ever get a mango? Find out!

[Rae the Reviewer · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved everything about this book! The illustrations are wonderful and the story was adorable. It's definitely one that works for a readaloud or independent reading for emerging readers.

[Bookworm4Life · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mangos are my favorite fruit and this story was very enjoyable to read. I think Julie and I would love to sit together under her tree and eat mangos together

[Debra · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a sweet story much like the sweetness of a mango.

[Danielle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Delightful, patient, clever (delicious).

[Brontee (bookswithbibi) 🍉 · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a cute book with excellent illustrations. The girl I was watching over the summer loved this book, and chose it over and over again.

[Nadia L. Hohn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gorgeous, vibrant illustrations. Clever and playful language. Julie is determined and loveable.

[Steph]

Turn/Level: 1/3

Mangos, Sharing

Longer read.