Are you ready to blow out the candles and enjoy a yummy piece of cake? I hope so, because we are celebrating a book birthday today of HOW TO EAT A MANGO, written by Paola Santos and illustrated by Juliana Perdomo and published by Neal Porter Books! And guess what? Author Paola stopped by to chat with us…and she’s offering a giveaway of a copy of this gorgeous new book (USA addresses only) – so please make sure you leave a comment and SHARE the post on your social media for extra tickets in the giveaway hat.

What a gorgeous cover!!! Engaging and inviting…kids will definitely want to grab this one from the library shelves!

Here’s a little bit about the book from the Amazon sales page:
Abuelita teaches Carmencita that you can’t rush mango-eating: it takes five steps to appreciate the gift and feel the love.

Carmencita doesn’t want to help Abuelita pick mangoes; she doesn’t even like them! They’re messy, they get stuck in her teeth, and it’s a chore to throw out the rotten ones.

But Abuelita adores mangoes, and patiently, she teaches Carmencita the right way to eat them. Together, they listen to the tree’s leaves, feel its branches and roots above and below, and smell and feel the sweet, smooth fruits. Each step is a meditation on everything Mamá Earth has given, and in the Earth’s love, Carmencita feels the love of her Mami, her Papi, her little brother Carlitos, and of course, Abuelita.

When they finally bite in, the juice running down their arms, Carmencita understands. The mangoes are more than just mangoes… and she’s ready for another!

Inspired by her own childhood in Venezuela, Paola Santos’s mango-sweet story is a grounding, life-affirming take on gratitude for nature’s gifts and connection with family and culture. Juliana Perdomo’s cheery artwork brings Carmencita, Abuelita, and their mango tree to life with all the warmth of golden fruit under the sun.

Simultaneously released in Spanish as Cómo se come un mango.

And now we get to welcome Paola to Picture Books Help Kids Soar!

ME: Hello, Paola. Thanks so much for stopping by! We always want to know what inspired an author to write a particular story. Can you tell us about why you wrote HOW TO EAT A MANGO?

PAOLA: Thank you for helping me celebrate the book launch, Vivian. The inspiration for “How to Eat a Mango” came from my abuelita and my deep connection to my Venezuelan roots. I remember her in the backyard, fully immersed in eating a mango, her delight like a poem in motion. Despite initially disliking mangoes, I loved watching her savor every bite. In Venezuela, the matriarchal presence is crucial, and my abuelita, though not as sweet as the grandmother in my book, was a strong, bustling figure in our home. The ripe mangoes often meant work for me, but they also brought moments of community as neighbors took bags of them. Today, mangoes evoke nostalgia for my family and homeland, knowing I may never relive those cherished moments or see my country as it once was.

Thank you so much, Paola! This is a book that will help many children feel seen.

Here’s a little bit about Paola:
Paola Santos is a children’s book author born and raised in Venezuela. After moving to Canada, she found the courage to share the words and stories that had long been enclosed in her imagination. Her stories are now woven with her culture, experience in a new country, hope, happiness, and diversity. Paola holds a bachelor’s and a master’s degree in Literature and Children’s Literature and Reading Promotion. She is the author of How to Eat a Mango / Cómo see come un mango (Neal Porter Books / Holiday House), 2024, and the forthcoming picture book A House in My Barrio (Henry Holt / Macmillan), 2026. She lives in Edmonton.

And here are ways to connect with her and find out more about her books:
Website: www.paolasantos.com
Twitter and Instagram: @pgsantosb
Twitter: https://x.com/pgsantosb
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/pgsantosb/

And here’s a super cool graphic with info about upcoming book launch events:

Please make sure you leave a comment for a chance to win a copy of HOW TO EAT A MANGO. And please share the post widely to help folks find out about this wonderful new book!

What else can you do to help new books success?
Buy the book
Review the book
Place the book on your Goodreads Want to Read Shelf

I hope you all have a wonderful week!! Thank you for spending your precious time with us.