Over in the Mangroves

4.3

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Author(s)

Jyoti Rajan Gopal

Co-Authors / Illustrators

Dikshaa Pawaskar

Publisher

Orchard Books

Genre(s)

Age Range

Release Date

July 15, 2025

ISBN

978-1546103332

Buy This Book

Reimagining a classic nursery rhyme, Over in the Mangroves is an enchanting and multilayered picture book about the interconnected animals of the Sundarbans Mangrove Forest.

Over in the mangroves by the river in the sun, slinks a fierce mama tiger and her little tiger one.

Inspired by the classic nursery rhyme, Over in the Mangroves is a fresh take that layers counting and social emotional moments into a beautiful interactive tale. From dawn to dusk, this enchanting story follows forest animals as they fish, swim, dig, and bask before a storm sends them all searching for shelter among the mangrove trees.

Set in the Sundarbans Mangrove Forest -- a UNESCO World Heritage site straddling India and Bangladesh -- Over in the Mangroves uses lyrical rhyming text to explore the interconnected creatures who call this forest their home. Lavish illustrations will draw readers in, and children will love searching for more creatures hiding among the trees. Extensive back matter includes an author's note and more information on the Sundarbans Mangrove Forest and the animals found inside the book!

A delightful read-aloud that kids are sure to turn to again and again.

Editor review

1 review

Romp through the Sundarbans Mangrove Forest

October 17, 2025 (Updated: June 29, 2026)

Overall rating

4.3

Plot

4.0

Characters

N/A

Writing Style

4.0

Illustrations/Photos (if applicable)

5.0

Over in the Mangroves introduces a few creatures of high interest that can be found in the Sundarbans Mangrove Forest. The lyrical text about the animals that flit and frolic and find protection in the home created by the mangroves is soothing and underlines the importance of the mangroves to the animals' survival. Each page features a mama or papa, and the babies keep growing in number, making it great for a counting book as well. The illustrations are saturated in color and have a cartoon roundness that makes the animals extra adorable and intriguing.
The one detail that stuck out to me was referring to the bees in terms of a mama out with her little bees waggling outside the hive. Since they have a queen and the babies wouldn’t be the ones collecting honey, it is factually inaccurate, and while it can be argued that this isn’t supposed to be a nonfiction text, for readers who do know better, the inaccuracy is disruptive, and the ones that don’t know better have now been introduced to a misconception. The author says many other animals also live in the Sundarbans Mangrove Forest, so it would have been better to use one that fit in the text structure the author created.
Overall, the story is engaging and will appeal to young readers and hopefully inspire them to want to protect places of nature like this one.