• Age: 4 to 7
• Grade: p to 2

Sareen is attending her first sit-up, a Jamaican tradition that celebrates the life of a loved one who has died. The whole village has come to share memories of Sareen’s Nana. Sareen wants to tell her stories of Nana’s last mango season and their search for the perfect mango, but she’s afraid the words won’t come or that she’ll begin to cry. It’s only when Sareen faces her fear that she realizes it’s not the sadness of Nana’s death that she’ll remember best but the joy of Nana’s life.

Set amid the rich culture and lush scenery of Jamaica, this moving book offers the hope of rediscovering joy after a loss and pays tribute to the remarkable power of story: to touch, to connect, and to heal.

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Regina Hanson is the author of The Tangerine Tree and The Face at the Window, winner of the Americas Award for Children's Literature. Born and raised in Jamaica, West Indies, she now lives in Boulder, Colorado.

"Children will connect with...a powerful story about a young person's...own personal goodbye to a beloved grandparent." BOOKLIST Booklist, ALA

"[A] gentle story . . . readers will learn much about the love of family, customs, and foods in the Jamaican culture." KIRKUS Kirkus Reviews

"The text offers an opening for discussing mourning rituals and practicing telling stories of lost loved ones." BCCB Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books

"Rich, naturalistic, full-color oil paintings...genuine emotion, details of life, and focus on the value of storytelling." SLJ School Library Journal