The Mango Tree (La Mata de Mango): A Picture Book

From internationally renowned, award-winning artist Edel Rodriguez comes The Mango Tree, an enchanting wordless picture book and a moving, fantastical take on his childhood experience as an immigrant.

In a quiet village on a small island, two boys spend their days in a mango tree. High above the rest of the world, they play, take naps in the shade, and eat mangoes together. But after a huge storm sweeps one boy out into unknown waters, he finds himself alone in a strange new land, where everything is different and unfamiliar.

In this poignant, personal story, internationally celebrated Cuban American artist Edel Rodriguez brings to life his childhood experience as an immigrant to the US. Taking readers on a fantastical journey into the unknown, The Mango Tree (La mata de mango) is a tale of new experiences, the bonds that connect us to home, and a friendship that endures across time and borders.


Author: Edel Rodriguez
Publisher: Harry N. Abrams
Published: 06/11/2024
Pages: 48
Binding Type: Hardcover
Weight: 1.10lbs
Size: 11.00h x 8.90w x 0.60d
ISBN: 9781419745867
Audience: Ages 4-8


Review Citation(s):
Publishers Weekly 06/10/2024
Horn Book Magazine 07/01/2024 pg. 112
School Library Journal 07/12/2024 pg. 1
Kirkus Reviews 09/01/2024
Hornbook Guide to Children 07/01/2024 - Outstanding, Noteworthy In Style

About the Author
Edel Rodriguez is a Cuban American artist and author who has exhibited internationally with shows in Los Angeles, Toronto, New York, Dallas, Philadelphia, and Spain. He has received the Gold Medal from the Society of Illustrators and for many years was the art director of TIME magazine. Books he has illustrated include Song for Jimi: The Story of Guitar Legend Jimi Hendrix by Charles R. Smith Jr., Float Like a Butterfly by Ntozake Shange, Fascinating: The Life of Leonard Nimoy, and Sonia Sotomayor: A Judge Grows in the Bronx/La juez que crecio en el Bronx by Jonah Winter. Throughout his career, Rodriguez has received commissions to create artwork for numerous clients, including the New York Times, TIME magazine, The New Yorker, and many other publications and book publishers. Rodriguez's artwork is in the collections of a variety of institutions, including the Smithsonian Institute in Washington, DC, as well as in numerous private collections. He lives with his wife and daughter in New Jersey.