Climbing the Mango Tree
Illustration © D. Yael Bernhard
Here’s a painting from a picture book I wrote and illustrated in 2014: Just Like Me, Climbing A Tree (Wisdom Tales Press, 2015). This particular scene was painted from memory – unlike the other trees in this book that hail from seven continents, mangos are familiar to me. In parts of West Africa, where I’ve been fortunate to travel several times, mangos are as common as maple and oak are here in the northeast United States. With their lush foliage, mango trees provide excellent shade and make a natural gathering place where people find shelter from the hot equatorial sun. Their thick branches make good climbing trees for nimble children, like the boy shown here crouching on a broad bough. Their succulent fruit provides abundant food that is protected by its peel and safe to eat. From my African hosts I learned a clever technique for extracting the fruit from the skin, which cannot be peeled like an orange (email me if you’re curious!).
So when I was making my selection of trees for this book, mangos naturally came to mind. Mangos are magnets for both children and adults, making this tree a good choice. The point was not to show the most exotic or endangered trees (though the book does include a few examples), but those that invite interactions with children, in such a way that reveals the culture of origin as well as the commonality of children everywhere engaged in exploring nature.
The original illustrations were painted in acrylic, with colored pencil on top – a technique I used often in my formative years as an artist. It was an appropriate choice for this subject, as the colored pencils enabled me to suggest the texture of bark. I also used a “haloing” technique, in which the trees are not exactly outlined in white, but surrounded by a halo of white or lightened background that makes them stand out. Contrast is important in illustration, and I find haloing both effective and appealing.
The writing in the book is a rhyming poem that imagines each child’s interaction with the tree – for example:
Then you leaped to a limb like a leopard
and balanced on a bough
and spotted a spider spinning a web
and hung like a bat upside down.
As you can see, I like alliteration – a lot.
Like several of my multicultural picture books, Just Like Me is designed for readers as young as 5 years old, but also has information in the back of the book for older readers – in this case, biological and cultural facts about each tree. Did you know mango trees are evergreens? That’s because they have deep taproots that enable them to tolerate drought and shallow soil. Mangos have been cultivated for over 4000 years. The shape of the fruit is said to have inspired paisley designs in Indian art and textiles.
But not everything about mangos is pleasant – the leaves, sap, and skin of the fruit can cause a rash in some people. The tasty fruit pulp is rich in minerals and vitamins – but like many tropical fruits, it’s also high in fructose, making it a poor choice for anyone who needs to avoid high-glycemic foods. Fortunately, since the West African diet generally lacks the refined carbohydrates that cause diabetes and obesity in developed countries, this is less of an issue for the people who live there.
I learn so much as a writer and illustrator!
Mangos have a special place in my heart, with many fond memories of eating the fruit in Guinea and Senegal, and watching children climb these people-friendly trees. It was a pleasure to include mangos in the book – and the illustration required no visual research.
You can order a signed copy of Just Like Me, Climbing A Tree here.
A good week to all!
D Yael Bernhard
http://dyaelbernhard.com
children's books • fine art • illustration
posters • cards • calendars
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