A great book about a family in Jamaica with a father who moves to New York in order to support his wife and kids. Little girl Ida can't bear a thought of her papa leaving for a long time but his promise to come back by the time Ida can read well, gives the little girl hope and warm feelings to cope with heartache. Ida also squeezes a tangerine juice into a bottle for daddy to take with him to cold New York. As reader finds out, it is believed that Mistress Sun sprinkles down bits of sun and puts them inside of the tangerines, and I think, that's beautiful. The illustrations convey the heat, the tropical atmosphere, and the love and care of that sweet family perfectly. ( )

Ida's father is traveling to New York from Jamaica. He can't find work in Jamaica and believes he will be able to do so in America in order to support his family. Ida is heartbroken and devastated. Papa gives Ida the task of taking care of the tangerine tree in their yard. I found this book to be a little on the long side for the age range it is intended for, but the the illustrations are beautiful and vivid, with colors of the islands. ( )

The Tangerine Tree is a story about a father who must immigrate to America so he can provide for his family. The family lives in Jamaica and they need money. The father must go to America to make money so he can give it to his family back home. The book shows how his daughter, Ida, handles her dad leaving. At first, she is extremely upset. She doesn't want him to go and can't find any good that can come out of her dad leaving. She goes to her hidden place in the tangerine tree to cry. There, her dad gives her a special book and tells her when she can read the whole book by herself, he will come back. At first, Ida thinks she'll never be able to read it, but changes her mind with encouragement from her dad. He also tells her to take care of the tangerine tree while he is gone. When it comes time for her dad to leave, Ida gives him a present and is determined to read the book plus all the books at her school. Then she will write to her father and tell him it's time to come home. We see Ida change from being sad about her dad leaving to accepting it. She even sets a goal for herself to as many books as she can before her dad comes home. She has a positive attitude about a sad situation. ( )

A sad story with a hopeful twist. ( )