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Reviewed by Savannah Aldridge for Readers' Favorite
The Mango Seed Doll: Extended Edition by Karlene J Froling, illustrated by Praise Saflor, is a fun picture book about being yourself. KayLynne faces bullying at school because of her big ears but she is still a happy girl who loves her family and likes to be creative. When she makes a doll out of a mango seed, the other children tease her about the doll’s odd appearance, while her family teaches her important lessons about being different and staying true to yourself. KayLynne prays for her doll to look like other dolls, but when her mother helps answer that prayer, KayLynne realizes she misses the doll that she designed. Throughout this book, the reader enjoys vivid illustrations of KayLynne, her world, and Salon the mango seed doll.
This story is a creative way to address the pressure kids face to conform and be ashamed of attributes that cannot be changed. I loved watching KayLynne alternate between sadness, disappointment, excitement, and much more with her loving family around her. Though I read many books about bullying as a child, I do not recall any of the twists and outcomes of The Mango Seed Doll by Karlene J Froling. The illustrations reflect children of different ethnic backgrounds and a biracial (African American/black and European/white) family - a dynamic that is not represented enough in children’s books! I believe the ideal age demographic for this book is children between the ages of five and nine and would recommend it to adults seeking to talk with little ones about bullying.
