Kirkus Review
A young South Asian girl is excited to pick mangoes with her family. As the family walks to the mango tree, the young narrator is thrilled: She's finally old enough to help pick them. Her brother tells her that everyone has a mango memory. He describes the excitement he felt climbing a tree for the first time to pluck mangoes. When the girl begins to climb, however, she gets dizzy. Seeing her upset, her father reminisces about how, when he was a boy, a generous benefactor shared mangoes from his orchard. The narrator's grandmother tries to get her excited again by pointing a well-aimed stone at the hard-to-reach mangoes, but despite her many tries, the girl keeps missing. She frets that she hasn't created any joyful memories. At home, the family delights in their harvest, with mango juice dripping down their chins and sticky pulp covering their faces, and the girl realizes that she's found her mango memory. Singh brings to life the excitement of waiting to pick--and finally eating--mangoes: a tradition observed by many South Asian families. Though the writing is a bit flat in places, the family's joyful bonding is palpable, and Ali's images brim with warmth, especially the mangoes, which pop against the page. Characters are depicted with a wide range of brown skin tones. A celebration of life's little pleasures. (Hindi glossary, author's note, mango facts) (Picture book. 4-8) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Booklist Review
In parts of the world where people still wait for fruits and vegetables to arrive seasonally, there is an especially powerful anticipation for the short summer mango season. In Mango Memories, the author captures her nostalgia for mango season in a vibrant, colorful imagining of a child's creation of her mango memory. On a bright summer day, a girl and her family go out to the mango tree to harvest the ripe fruit. For some reason, the two children are sent up the tree to pick the mangoes--typically a much riskier task than presented here--and the girl is unable to climb high enough. She is disappointed, and family members try to comfort her with tales of their own attempts at harvesting--their mango memories. She yearns to have her own mango memory, just like everyone else. Ultimately, the resolution is a happy one, and this book serves its purpose as a tribute to this king of fruits and its significance in the lives of the people who appreciate it.
