Mango and Bambang: The Not-a-Pig by Polly Faber

Ill. by Clara Vulliamy. Mango and Bambang, bk 1. Walker Books, 2015. ISBN 9781406361438
(Age: 6+) Highly recommended. Mango Allsorts is a clever girl who is good at all sorts of things, not just karate and chess. She is kind and helpful too and when she see a strange bump in the road she realises that it is an Asian tapir and not a danger to drivers and pedestrians. Patiently she helps Bambang navigate his way through the busy city and they become firm friends, having some strange adventures along the way and also consuming lots of banana pancakes.
The story is divided into four brilliant stories, perfect for the independent reader or to read aloud, one at a time. The language from Polly Faber is sophisticated, with new words and alliteration (eg. Cynthia Prickle-Posset was positively purple now pg 107) that the young reader will relish and the illustrations by Clara Vulliamy are delightful and full of humour. The expressions on the faces of all the characters will have the reader giggling aloud.
Mango is a wonderful little girl and the reader will be in awe of the patience that she demonstrates when getting Bambang across the street and out of danger. Bambang grows in confidence in the busy city and he is able to help Mango with her clarinet playing when she is frightened about playing in front of people. So together they grow and develop each assisting the other as true friends do.
This is a perfect gift book, beautifully presented with a dust jacket with purple stripes and gold embossing and it would also be a great addition to any library.
Pat Pledger