Mango and Bambang: Tiny tapir trouble by Polly Faber

Ill. by Clara Vulliamy. Mango and Bambang series, bk. 3. Walker Books, 2016. ISBN 9781406361483
(Age: 7-10) Highly recommended. The third in the series about Mango and Bambang will be an instant hit with fans and new readers alike. The pair have a wonderful adventure at the seaside, and when Bambang gets sick they discover just the sort of medicine a tapir needs to recover. Then a parcel arrives for them and inside is a tiny tapir, Guntur, who is rather naughty and causes trouble for Bambang. Finally in the last section Bambang helps ensure that Mango wins the chess competition.
The book is divided into four sections, with a contents page giving the title of each of the little stories. The narratives are very interesting with vocabulary that will entice children to learn new words. There is the familiar beach scene where Bambang proves that he is a hero and not a monster. When Bambang get sick the reader learns along with Mango what a tapir eats and the habitat that it likes. There is much humour as Guntur wreaks havoc at home before become a handbag tapir for a celebrity and finally Bambang proves how intelligent and observant he is when he discovers what is happening at the chess tournament.
These fabulous episodes are illustrated with lots of attractive black and teal pictures that will help emerging readers with the story.
Themes of fitting in, being brave, worry about friendship and making sure that friends are being cared for, are all things that young readers will relate to and which make the book such a wonderful read.
A book trailer from the authors gives details about tapirs and the main characters.
Pat Pledger