The Last Mapou

by Edwidge Danticat, Edouard Duval-Carrié (Illustrations)

In Haiti, the mapou (silk cotton) tree is a very symbolic national tree. Award-winning author Edwidge Danticat and renowned painter Edouard Duval-Carrie team up for this rich and vivid tale about a young girl's relationship with her grandmother, and the history, beauty and circumstances of their family's mapou tree. This is Danticat's second children's book.

Grade Level: 3rd-5th grade

34 pages, Paperback

First published January 17, 2013

About the author

Edwidge Danticat is a Haitian American novelist and short story writer. Her first novel, Breath, Eyes, Memory, was published in 1994 and went on to become an Oprah's Book Club selection. Danticat has since written or edited several books and has been the recipient of many awards and honors. Her work has dealt with themes of national identity, mother-daughter relationships, and diasporic politics. In 2023, she was named the Wun Tsun Tam Mellon Professor of the Humanities in the department of African American and African Diaspora Studies at Columbia University.

Reviews

[Colin · Rating 4 out of 5]

We read this book as part of homeschool reading for Black History Month - a book about the traditional importance of the mapou tree in Haitian culture and mythology. The art is not very good, but the story about a little girl learning the lore of the mapou tree from her grandmother is quite good and touching.

[Cara Byrne · Rating 3 out of 5]

“I hear my grandmother’s soft chuckle. Then I hear a voice echo through the rustling leaves of the remaining trees, while telling the mapou’s story. This time though I am part of the mapou’s story because I am the one telling it." Danticat's second picture book, though lesser known than _Mama's Nightingale_ and "My Mommy Medicine_, similarly emphasizes the bond between generations and celebrates Haitian heritage. It's less designed for young readers than her other books, but it tells a beautiful story about endurance, heritage, and one's connection to nature.