Mango, Abuela, and Me

by Meg Medina, Angela Dominguez (Illustrator)

A 2016 Pura Belpre Author Award Honor Book
A 2016 Pura Belpre Illustrator Award Honor Book

When a little girl's far-away grandmother comes to stay, love and patience transcend language in a tender story written by acclaimed author Meg Medina.

Mia's abuela has left her sunny house with parrots and palm trees to live with Mia and her parents in the city. The night she arrives, Mia tries to share her favorite book with Abuela before they go to sleep and discovers that Abuela can't read the words inside. So while they cook, Mia helps Abuela learn English ("Dough. Masa"), and Mia learns some Spanish too, but it's still hard for Abuela to learn the words she needs to tell Mia all her stories. Then Mia sees a parrot in the pet-shop window and has the perfecto idea for how to help them all communicate a little better. An endearing tale from an award-winning duo that speaks loud and clear about learning new things and the love that bonds family members.

Genres: Picture Books, Family, Realistic Fiction, Latinx, Cultural, Childrens, Spanish Literature

32 pages, Paperback

First published August 25, 2015

About the author

Meg Medina served as the 2023-2024 National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature. Her most recent middle-grade novel and first fantasy, Graciela in the Abyss, was a 2026 ALSC Notable Children’s Book and a CCBC Choices 2026 selection. Illustrated by Anna and Elena Balbusso, the novel was also awarded the prestigious 2026 Hamilton King Award by the Society of Illustrators. She is also the author of the Newbery Medal–winning book Merci Suárez Changes Gears, a 2018 Kirkus Prize finalist, and is followed by two more acclaimed books about the Suárez family: Merci Suárez Can’t Dance and Merci Suárez Plays It Cool. Her young adult novels include Yaqui Delgado Wants to Kick Your Ass, which won the 2014 Pura Belpré Author Award, and was published in 2023 as a graphic novel illustrated by Mel Valentine Vargas; Burn Baby Burn, which was long-listed for the National Book Award; and The Girl Who Could Silence the Wind. She is also the author of picture books No More Señora Mimí / No más Señora Mimí, Evelyn Del Rey Is Moving Away / Evelyn del Rey se muda, illustrated by Sonia Sánchez, Jumpstart’s 2020 Read for the Record selection; Mango, Abuela, and Me, illustrated by Angela Dominguez, which was a Pura Belpré Author Award Honor Book; and Tía Isa Wants a Car, illustrated by Claudio Muñoz, which won the Ezra Jack Keats New Writer Award; and biographies for young readers She Persisted: Sonia Sotomayor and She Persisted: Pura Belpré, the latter with Marilisa Jiménez García. Meg Medina’s work examines how cultures intersect through the eyes of young people. She brings audiences stories that speak to both what is unique in Latino culture and qualities that are universal. The daughter of Cuban immigrants, she grew up in Queens, New York, and now lives in Richmond, Virginia.

Reviews

[Jillian · Rating 5 out of 5]

There was so much to love about this book - I loved the "how-tos" of learning a language (labeling EVERYTHING). I loved the use of teaching the parrot as a way to bring Mia and Abuela closer. I LOVED that it wasn't just "teach my foreign grandmother English," but it was also Mia learning Spanish, and about her family and heritage. It was great to see the two of them start by being unable to speak about nearly anything to being able to talk about "the things an abuela should know" by the end.

[Lauren Waters · Rating 5 out of 5]

An important book about language, communication, family and love.

[Abigail · Rating 4 out of 5]

When Mia's Abuela, or grandmother, comes to stay with her family in the city, the young girl doesn't have enough Spanish, and her grandmother doesn't have enough English, for the two to communicate with one another. Mia tries a number of things - pointing and naming objects, taping English labels on everything in the apartment - but nothing works. Then she and her mother buy Abuela a parrot named Mango, and that seems to help with language acquisition on both sides...

It easy to see why Meg Medina's story was chosen a Pura Belpré Honor selection last year (2016) - The Pure Belpré Award is given annually "to a Latino/Latina writer and illustrator whose work best portrays, affirms, and celebrates the Latino cultural experience" - as Mango, Abuela and Me presents an engaging and heartwarming tale. I liked the fact that both Mia and her Abuela have to work at communicating with one another, and I appreciated the fact that an animal is involved in the process, as studies have shown that animal companions often help people to learn to speak and/or read, when they are having difficulty in those areas. The artwork by Angela Dominguez is colorful and expressive, capturing the love and warmth of the relationship between Mia and Abuela. Recommended to anyone looking for children's stories addressing themes such as living with grandparents or communicating across language barriers, and that feature Latino characters.

[Karen Witzler · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very sweet and tender look at an abuela (grandmother) who speaks only Spanish and is from a tropical locale, who must move in with her children living in a colder climate and learn English in order to communicate with her new roomate - her young granddaughter.

Abuela and Mia each learn a new language. I would have given it 4 stars -- but one of the devices to make Abuela feel more at home is the purchase of a caged parrot without any discussion of the needs of such an animal. Also, everything goes almost too swimmingly, with nary a conflict or hurt feeling in sight as abuela melds with the new household.
For young children - especially those just learning to read.

[Agustina y los libros · Rating 4 out of 5]

A bit of context: my youngest sister was born in the USA to Argentine parents. My father, maybe because he feels it's easier, or maybe because he might fear it could make it harder for her to become as much a native English speaker if she also learns Spanish (deeply untrue), speaks to her in English... a lot.

Even though I'm fluent in English, I always speak Spanish when on videocalls with her. She understands me, I think, but always replies in English. I'm afraid she might feel like it's not even worth trying, since she doesn't have enough practice and she might be scared of making mistakes. I once asked her if she'd rather I talked English to her, since I didn't want to impose it on her, or make her uncomfortable, no matter how much I wish she was also fluent in Spanish (being 5, she's still on time to learn way faster than she would as an adult) (also, I don't think I need to explain why it's so important that she gets to have this, the ability to speak her family's language, one of the biggest connections to our culture, her Latina heritage).

She has asked me to continue speaking Spanish to her.

There's not much more I could do from the other side of the continent, but this time, Christmas on the horizon, instead of the usual book about unicorns, I began looking for books like, well, this one.

In "Mango, Abuela and Me", young Mia's grandmother moves in from her home country to the US to live with her parents and her. Mia wants to connect with her grandmother, but she soon learns that she doesn't speak much English. Wishing to be able to share her favorite night-time stories with her grandmother, Mia starts thinking of ways to teach her. And also, she starts wanting to learn Spanish herself. Before long, the two of them find joy in coming to a better understanding of one another, and connect as family. A new world opens up to them as they learn each other's language (having fun —and even adopting a mango-colored parrot— in the process!).

The illustrations are very pretty and so is the story, which also takes to opportunity to teach the reader some Spanish words. So, I've decided to send it as a Christmas gift to my very own little Mia (yes, I teared up when I learned they share a name, ok?). I will probably update this in the future with her opinion on it. But I do know her grandmothers will probably love it, for sure. And I know I'm very thankful that there's books like this one.


Edit: She really liked it! And she's been starting to say some words in Spanish when we voicecall (and likes to run around yelling words like "¡CUCARACHA!"). Also, my stepmother was very moved by the story, and told me she felt like it represented much of her own mother's story with her granddaughter, my sister. ♥

[Kathryn · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this sweet, sensitive story by Pura Belpré Award-winning author Meg Medina and the darling illustrations by Pura Belpré Honor-winner Angela Dominguez. I appreciate the love and respect shown between the granddaughter and her grandmother, the deep desire to connect and share, even with the language barriers... it is a warm and gentle portrayal, yet it doesn't shy away from showing how hard, how frustrating, it can be for the two of them when they can't communicate as freely as they'd like to... it doesn't sugar-coat Abuela's homesickness in moving from her homeland but the focus is on her new life and I so admire her spirit in tackling the challenge of learning English, and in being taught by her granddaughter. I love that the granddaughter truly listened to her grandmother, even when it was hard to understand the words she spoke, and sensed that the parrot would help the grandmother feel happier and more at home. It was wonderful watching Abuela's confidence grow as she learned more words, and the parrot became a conversation-starter in the neighborhood, helping her connect with her new community. I loved that the granddaughter also learned from her grandmother, loved the family stories she could tell, and that they eventually spoke to one another in both Spanish and English. As I read this, I thought of Drawn Together and I think this would pair well as both deal with grandparents and grandchildren and the difficulties in communication and connection when language is a barrier.

[Edward Sullivan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Love transcends a language barrier between a young girl and her grandmother. Warm and endearing.

[Shantel · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is freaking adorable. It reminds me of mi familia, and the joys of having multiple ways to say “I love you”.

[Daniel Walsh · Rating 4 out of 5]

Summary- Mia's grandmother, Abuela moves into the house with Mia's family. She is unable to understand English and can not read Mia's stories. Mia uses her newly bought parrot, Mango, to help teach her grandmother English.
Personal Response- I like how this book ties together teamwork and family. Mia seems very caring that she wants to help her Abuela speak while also finding new ways to help her too. I like how she first used labels around the house to help her grandmother learn English names for certain things. Although it may not have worked, she was able to find new ways to teach English.
Note about illustrations- The illustrator, Angela Dominguez uses bright vibrant colors to bring a sense of belonging and understanding to her pictures. She illustrates the pictures using a watercolor that brings the family together through facial expression and color choice.
Classroom Connections- For the creative arts classroom, I would use this book on an introduction to watercolor. Children at a young age, Grades 1 or 2 could paint a picture using bright pictures of their families including any family pets while writing a short couple sentences explaining how they share certain experiences together that make them feel happy. For the children in an ESL/ELL classroom children could use this book to help label things around the classroom they struggle pronouncing. They could work in pairs so they could identify keywords together instead of figuring out the pronunciation and spelling on their own.

[Evelyn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mango, Abuela and Me is a lovely children's book that navigates the latino family. A story about a little girl learning how to communicate with her grandmother who is fluent in a different language:Spanish. She lived far away and is now moving in. The vivid pictures add to the details in the story and help bring the story to life.

[Jessica · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love, love, love this book! Mia's grandmother has moved in to her house in the city. Mia finds out her grandmother can't read one of her favorite books because she doesn't know English. This is a great story because Mia helps her grandmother learn English but she also learns Spanish and more about her family. I really liked that the pictures were so vibrant and appealing.

[Danielle · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this one.

[Krysten Morgan]

Genre: Realistic Fiction
Grade Levels: 1-5
Themes: Families, communication, parrots
Major Award: Pura Belpre Award (2016)

Summary- This is the story of a young girl, Mia, whose grandmother from far away moves in with them. Mia discovers that there is a language barrier due to the fact that Mia speaks English and her grandmother speaks Spanish. At first, Mia is upset they can’t communicate and feels like she doesn’t know her grandmother. However, she starts teaching her grandmother English as she learns Spanish as well. When at the pet store, Mia has a great idea to get a parrot, like the ones that were where her grandmother lived, to give to her grandmother to help them communicate and keep her grandmother company while she is gone at school.

Personal Response- I really enjoyed reading this story. I liked how it wrapped around from the beginning where the grandmother is showing Mia a feather from a parrot back home to the end where Mia actually got her grandmother a parrot to have there and make her feel more at home. I also enjoyed the assessability of the Spanish words in this book to me as an English speaker. All the Spanish words were either explained in English or had context clues that made it easy for me to understand. This story was such a loving story between a family that made me feel joyful.

Other Info-
What has this book led you to think about?
This book made think about how I would manage an experience like this. I think I would have labeled everything in the house as Mia did to try and learn each other's languages. I think it would be so hard to not be able to communicate with someone you are living with.

Have you had any experiences similar to this? In what way?
This reminds me of when we had exchange students in our high school. It wasn’t the same because I only saw them on occasion but I do remember the way it felt to struggle with communicating with them. I also remember in my Spanish class in high school we had everything in the room labeled in Spanish to help learn the language.

Would you use this book with your students? Why/Why not?
I would share this book with my students. It seems like a really good book to show the communication struggles that some students might face with each other or with family members. It also is a good story about overcoming adversity that I think many students could relate to.


Reader response/Classroom Connection -
1) I would like to use this book to help my students with making predictions. I would read about half of it out loud so they can see what the problem is and stop before we get to the resolution. I would then have students talk with a partner about how they think Mia may solve this problem or what they would do in a situation like this. We would write their ideas on how to help someone who you cant communicate with on a poster to hang on the wall. We would also add more ideas after we finish reading the story. This could be a good reference for students that run into communication barriers.

2)Just like the parrot may have brought the grandmother comfort, we could talk about things that bring the students comfort. I may ask the students to bring something in that brings them comfort. It could be a blanket, a toy, a picture of a family member, or anything else. We would share these items with the class and talk about why they bring us comfort. We would then write a short entry in our journals about this item.

[Tasha · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mia’s abuela has come to live with Mia and her family in the United States. She can’t speak English and Mia can’t speak Spanish, so the two of them spend time together in silence, feeding the birds and watching TV. Mia’s mother reminds her of how a classmate learned to speak English and Mia starts to work to teach her abuela the new language. They point at things and share the English and Spanish words. Mia labels items around the house with their English names. Then when Mia and her mother go to the pet store for treats for her hamster, Mia sees a parrot that she knows will remind her abuela of the home she left. Mango, the parrot, starts speaking both languages and helps Mia’s abuela connect with both her past and her granddaughter.

Medina has written this picture book with a lovely clarity of voice. The first person narrative is told from Mia’s point of view and shows the growing relationship with her grandmother, from the first shy days to the later part of the book where they are happily chatting and reading together. The book speaks to the importance of family and also to the ways that language can be learned and shared. It is particularly important that Mia learned Spanish too.

The illustrations are simple and colorful. They show the limited space that the family has, so Mia and her grandmother share a room together. The urban setting is shown with a bright friendliness that captures a vibrant community. The chronicling of the growing relationship is shown very effectively in the images.

A strong picture book that celebrates families and new language learners. Appropriate for ages 4-6.

[Teresa Moreland · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a touching book about a young girl whose grandma comes to live with her and her family. The little girl is so excited to have her grandma there, but there’s a problem, they don’t speak the same language. The author uses both Spanish and English in this story to share how two people find ways to grow close and communicate, despite a language barrier.

I chose this book because it reminded me of my life with my in-laws. My husband’s family speaks Spanish. Some of his family live here, while others live in Ecuador. When we started dating he brought me to many family parties. My Spanish was muy malo, y tenia miedo a hablar con ellos. The most difficult moment for me was when mi esposo’s family came to Minnesota for our wedding. I wanted to communicate so badly with his mom and dad, but I couldn’t. At that point I could understand a bit of what they were saying, but I could not speak with them. They were here for three weeks and we began communicating with hand signals and grunts. It was very funny and we grew closer just by attempting, and often failing at first, to communicate.

My husband and I now have a daughter. We are teaching her both languages so that she can comfortably communicate with both sides of her familia. Every day I learn more Spanish, poco a poco, but for a while I will still need a translator or my ‘sign language’ to communicate with my family. Kevin’s mom calls our communication, mono-mono, or monkey-monkey. We may look like monkeys, waving our arms around, but we can communicate.

I think this will be a great addition in my classroom because it gives hope to the reader that even if we don’t speak the same language, we can still communicate.

[Amy Wickham · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Mango, Abuela, and Me" written by Meg Medina and illustrated by Angela Dominguez is a 2016 Pura Belpré Author Award Honor Book and a 2016 Pura Belpré Illustrator Award Honor Book. A touching story detailing the story of a grandma "abuela" and Mia, a small child, this book invites readers into the lives of a Hispanic family at the time when Abuela comes to live with them.

At first, Mia is reluctant and shy to meet Abuela, even though they are family. Mia realizes very quickly that she has trouble communicating with Abuela in her Spanish and when she asks Abuela to read her a bedtime story, Mia notices that Abuela can't "unlock the English words." Sprinkled with Spanish words among the English text, readers are given an insight into how difficult it can be for children to connect with relatives they do not know or have not seen before.

The plot twists when Mia and Abuela purchase Mango, a parrot, who is green, orange, and gold, like the fruit. Mango keeps Abuela company at home and together Mia and Abuela speak to the bird in English and Spanish. Mango quickly acquires both languages which results in delightful exchanges in both languages between grandmother and child.

My students easily connect with the concept of having parents or family living far away, in different countries, and those challenges associated with that situation. Many students have shared strategies they use to help communicate with family members that do not speak the same language. The story is a little long but can be read and discussed over multiple days with different literary teaching points to pick from.

[Dawn Moynihan]

Do you know what an abuela is? [children respond] It means Grandma in Spanish. Do any of you know anyone who speaks another language? Do you know any words in another language for Grandma? [children respond] I know one. It's Norwegian. It's farmor. They actually have lots of words for Grandma, just like we do. When my Grandma was a little girl, growing up in North Dakota, she only spoke Norwegian. When she was five years old, she started school and learned how to speak English. She would come home after school and teach her mom and dad how to speak English too. Can you imagine if you went to school and couldn't speak the language and then had to go home and teach your family what you had learned? [children respond] Let's think about what people like my Grandma and this young lady and her Abuela were thinking and feeling while we read this book.

Opening moves:
Prompt brief sharing of personal experiences related to the topic or theme.
Share a personal connection you have with the text.
Raise interest in a topic or theme.
Lay the groundwork for helping the children understand the theme.
Draw attention to the language of the text.
Tell the meaning of a key word.

[Linda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mia’s abuela is coming to live with her family, and share her room! She lives too far away and needs to move from a home that’s just too much to care for. Mia’s shy, and the biggest challenge is that she doesn’t speak enough Spanish, and her grandmother doesn’t speak enough English for them to communicate well. However, as the days go by, and each learn new words, they get to share more. They walk to feed the birds, also “feeding words” to each other, and the same happens when they cook together. When Mia and her Mami have to go into town to purchase food for Mia’s hamster, they see a parrot in the window of a pet store, and Mango comes home to Abuela. Teaching Mango both Spanish and English makes a happy ending for everyone. Mia and her Abuela can talk and read together, and going to sleep means “Good Night” from Abuela and “Hasta Mañana” from Mia. Spanish words are sprinkled throughout the text as Mia learns as much as her abuela. The brilliantly colored illustrations show the story’s warmth so well.

[Susan Huddleston · Rating 4 out of 5]

Text-to-World
In today's society, there are a lot of families that experience where the family has to take in grandparents. There are also many bilingual families where the parents are fluent in their native language and in English. Depending on whether the parents speak both languages in the home or not, the children may not have the knowledge of their parents native language. One activity that the class could do would be to select a language to learn some words/names of items in the classroom. We'll select Spanish as the language since it is the most common in our area. The students would write the Spanish name of items on note cards and then place on the item. If there are Spanish speaking students, they will write the names of the items in English. The teacher will then use the Spanish names of items as they come up in conversation. This will help the English speaking students learn some Spanish and will also help the Spanish speaking students to work on their English.

[Erin · Rating 5 out of 5]

In this Pura Belpré illustrator honor book, Mia struggles when her abuela comes to live in her house. They share a room, but that is all because "Abuela and I can't understand each other". One day Mia and her mom bring home a parrot hoping to cheer up abuela. The parrot, named Mango, ends up being the connection that they both needed. As they taught the parrot words, abuela became better at speaking English and Mia improved her Spanish. The illustrations really help portray the sadness of the abuela for her homeland and her transformation as she realizes that home is where your heart resides.

This book will be welcomed by many students who can connect to the language barriers that exist within their own families. It would be perfect to use for practicing text to self connections.

Recommended Age: K-3
Awards: Pura Belpré illustrator honor

[Lesly · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mia’s grandmother comes and lives with her and her parents. Mia wants to tell her about her day at school but cannot communicate with her because she does not speak Spanish. Mia starts teaching her grandmother words in English while learning Spanish herself.

This book has won the Pura Belpre Award in 2016.

The book has colorful illustrations and keeps the readers engaged. Students can read the story by themselves or can be read to the class. Students would enjoy this story because they can relate to Mia of not being able to communicate with someone who may not know English. This book can be used when a class gets a new student in the classroom who may be a English Language Learner. The book also teaches a couple of words in Spanish.

[YeseniaI · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a touching story about Mia, a little girl that helps her abuela learn English when she moves in. Mia’s creativity and willingness to teach her abuela is heartwarming. Their bond grows as they are able to communicate with each other in a new language. The use of Spanish words and phrases demonstrate how learning a new language can be difficult, but with perseverance and practice, it can be obtained. Bilingual students could relate to the sadness and difficulty in not being able to understand English. This book should be part of a classroom library as it promotes discussions about learning something new.

I located this book at http://www.ala.org/awardsgrants/node/... website. It is a Pura Belpre 2016 Honor Award winner. It is geared for k-3 grade students.

[Westminster Library · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a great story that speaks to how the dynamics of Hispanic families have changed in terms of language. A young girl’s grandmother moves in with her family and they both find it difficult to communicate due to the language barrier. I love the fact that a conscious decision was made to break that barrier.

Find Mango, Abuela, and Me at the Westminster Public Library.

[Susan Dunn · Rating 4 out of 5]

When her abuela comes to live with them, she can't speak any English, and Mia's Spanish isn't much better. Slowly, the two teach each other words, but it's a frustrating road. Then Mia spots a parrot in a store window - like the one that abuela used to have back home. As Mia and abuela begin to teach Mango, they all benefit. A sweet story - too long for story time, but would be good for older kids.

[Mary · Rating 4 out of 5]

A sensitive picture book about a young girl teaching her Spanish-speaking grandmother English -- to speak and read. The illustrations are done in ink, gouache, and marker and capture their loving relationship, even when they don't understand each other's language. This is a gentle celebration of family that tells a relevant and heartwarming story.

[Missy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the story of how Mia and her Abuela find the key to unlocking their language when they find themselves as roommates in this tale of love, family, and communication. The illustrations and bright and the message one of patience and acceptance of heritage, self, and holding all parts of yourself and your heritage. Very good for the demographics in the local area as well.

[Hannah McBride · Rating 5 out of 5]

When Mia's grandmother comes to live with her, they struggle to communicate because of a language barrier. As time passes and with the help of a pretty parrot named Mango, Mia and Abuela learn how to speak to each other with love. This has a lot of great beginner Spanish words for little ones!

[Liz B · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a pleasant story about a grandmother, who speaks only Spanish, moving in with her son and his wife and most especially her granddaughter, who speaks only English.

This isn't going to be a reread for us, but we did like our first time through.

[Gina · Rating 4 out of 5]

Heart-warming inter-generational story. When Mia's grandmother comes to live with them, she loves her, but cannot communicate with her, and that is even more isolating for the grandmother. Topics include language, culture, and pets. Very sweet.

[Emily Scheinman]

The way Mia's grandmother develops through the story - how her eyes go from distant gazes to become more focused on the life in front of her - was a quiet but touching part of the story for me.