A Lemon for Safiya by Jemima Shafei-Ongu illustrated by Nisaluk Chantanakom

"It was Safiya who first spotted the old woman, sitting on the edge of the footpath, sock-sandalled feet in the gutter, busy cars speeding past."

The woman is sitting alone. She is holding a 'bright yellow lemon' in the palm of her hand. When the family ask where she lives it is clear the lady is describing somewhere from her past. The woman talks about her daughter who is named Hanna - this means happiness in Arabic. Luckily the old lady is wearing a bracelet with her name - Maryam. It is such a sweet moment when the child reaches across the car seat to hold the old lady's hand and that is when she sees the bracelet. 

Bookseller blurb: They reached a giant lemon tree. The old woman sat up, tapping an urgent finger against the window. 'Hay! Hay! Hanna zarr'et ha. Hay!' 'She's saying that Hanna planted this tree,' Mama said as Dad pulled over. 'It's a beautiful tree, shajrah hhelweh,' Mama said to the old woman.

 When a little girl, Safiya, and her family help Maryam, a lost and confused stranger by the side of the road, to find her way home, they begin to understand who she is and the rich and remarkable life she has lived. Through kind-natured Safiya, we come to see Maryam, a woman who had been made invisible by society because of her ethnicity, race, religion, language, age and now dementia. With Arabic text interspersed throughout, A Lemon for Safiya is a wonderful exploration of language, diversity and culture.

Listening to an author, or in this case illustrator, talk about the inspiration for their book can make a big difference to how you perceive a text.  This book will be published in early June 2025 but yesterday I attended a conference at our New South Wales State Library and for one of the sessions four authors were invited to speak for five minutes about their new or first book. 

Nisaluk Chantanakom has added delicate art to this story and the memories of the old lady appear in sepia behind each illustration so that even if you don't speak Arabic it is easy to anticipate what the lady is saying. The words are translated too and there is a full glossary at the back of the book. Nisaluk is originally from Thailand but now lives in Sydney.  She was shortlisted for the CBCA New Illustrator with her book A Teaspoon of Light.

About this book she says: I tried to imagine Maryam standing beneath a lemon tree, her mind filled with vivid memories she can’t forget, while she struggles to recall the reality of the present. During this time, an elderly Greek woman with dementia often wandered into our backyard and asked for lemons. She seemed to remember we had a lemon tree, but not that the lemons weren’t yet ripe. I drew inspiration from her postures, expressions and manner for my illustrations of Maryam. Seeing my neighbour’s confusion helped me in my approach to illustrating Maryam’s memories. I chose to depict them as fragmented, using sketchy, childlike crayon marks. Some of these marks are tiny scribbles that I then scanned and enlarged, adding to their raw quality. I felt it was important to have different styles for the present and Maryam’s past. The present is depicted with a full colour palette and a very detailed style. For Maryam’s memories, I combined fine pencil work with scribbled crayon textures and rough 

watercolours patches. (from the teachers notes for A lemon for Safiya)

Jemima Shafei-Ongu is the author of three books. Jemima said (also in the teachers notes): 

A Lemon for Safiya was inspired by true events that happened when my family and I were living in Melbourne around 2006. We found a lost and confused old woman by the side of the road, with not too dissimilar circumstances to Maryam in this story. I have also worked with many children in schools who felt sad and confused when someone they loved, like a grandparent, became impacted by dementia. I also love lemons, and along with olives, they play a special role in my culture (I am of the Levant), and they have a special place in my heart. Nature has a way to teach us about life, about patience, about respect for life and about trust in its process. Lemons, like much of nature, have a life cycle that we can be trustees of and agents to.

The publisher and my conference companion suggest this book could be read alongside Wilfrid Gordon McDonald Partridge. I am not entirely convinced about this but that famous book is a good one to use if you are talking about memories or in fact it is just a very special book to read at any time. 

A better companion book might be this one:

If all the world were ...

And if you are talking about cultural identity and memory you might look for this one:

My Baba's Garden by Jordan Scott illustrated by Sydney Smith

A quiet, tender, and profoundly moving celebration 

of intergenerational love. Kirkus Star review

"My Baba, my grandmother, was born in Poland, where she and her family suffered greatly during World War II. After the war she emigrated to Canada ... with my Dziadek (grandfather) (but) .... by the time I arrived in the world, my Dziadek had passed away. ... She didn't speak English very well, so much of the time we communicated through gesture, touch and laughter."

Baba is a terrific cook, and she has filled her kitchen and small 'chicken coop' home with food stored in jars and hanging from an assortment of places. Baba also knows worms are essential for the soil. They dig and increase water and air that get into the soil and also provide nutrients. She adds the worms to her the soil around her tomatoes, cucumbers, carrots and the apple tree.

"I am a grown man now and (I) still pick up worms. My children do too. My Baba would be proud." 

This book is written from the heart - Baba is Jordan Scott's grandmother. He did indeed spend many happy hours with her when he was a small child. His observations and memories add a gentle layer of honesty to this story - read this quote:

"and there she is, hidden in the steam of boiling potatoes, dancing between the sink, fridge and stove. A hand holding a beetroot, a leg opening a cupboard, an elbow closing the fridge door."

Jordan and his grandmother care for her small garden but then Baba moves in with Jordan's family. She is growing old and frail and now it is his turn to bring her breakfast. When Jordan plants some cherry tomato seeds into a pot on her windowsill she reminds him to collect those all-important worms. And luckily is raining - so it is the perfect time. 

I think this book especially touched me because I also spent time with my precious grandmother and I hold all those memories of our time together in her tiny old flat very close to my heart. 

When you read this book don't rush past the title page (you can see the boy climbing into his dad's car just before dawn). And then on the imprint page we see them driving through the traffic again just before dawn. See inside Baba's Garden here. And Let's talk Picture Books have filmed the jacket reveal - WOW that's so special. Or you could try this link. 

I read a US review and they used the word oatmeal but the Canadian and Australian editions of this book use the word porridge. I shake my head in wonder that the US editor needed to make this change.

Sydney Smith is the 2024 winner of the Hans Christian Andersen Award. I really hope he will be at the IBBY Congress in 2024 which will be held in Ottawa. I plan to be there (from Australia).

Awards for Baba's Garden:

• A Charlotte Zolotow Honor Book
• A New York Public Library Best Book of the Year
• A Kirkus Reviews Best Picture Book of the Year
• A School Library Journal Best Book of the Year
• A Horn Book Fanfare Book
• A Booklist Editors’ Choice
• A Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selection
• An Evanston Public Library Great Book for Kids

Sydney Smith’s evocative images, dwelling on the domestic riches and warmth of Baba’s chicken coop home, and the luxuriant garden that she – and the worms – have created, perfectly complement the simply told story of the boy’s memories of his time with his grandmother. In sketchy prose, Jordan Scott conjures a lively active woman, singing to herself in her own language, absorbed in cooking and preserving the food she has grown, and preparing it for the young boy that she cares for. This beautiful book – beautiful in its illustrations, its language and its tribute to a resilient woman ... Just Imagine

Looking at the illustrations in My Baba’s Garden, I feel I’ve entered her home and should whisper as I read this book. Sydney’s loose watercolor helps us see these memories through sometimes teary eyes or when the sun comes through a window and causes you to squint a bit. His expert use of lighting is dramatic and impactful, and so beautiful. In every scene, the light is like a friend, welcoming. Only Picture Books.

Jordan Scott and Sydney Smith have another picture book written together:

Read my previous post about Sydney Smith. And here is his webpage. Here you can see a photo of Baba and a very young Jordan. 

Footpath Flowers

Of course Baba's Graden is about intergenerational relationships, grandmothers, wisdom, growing old, love and care of family but if you are curious about worms and gardens try to find this book - it takes a fun look at worms for a preschool audience.

Here is the Storylinks review

This is a new book published in 2024 and it would be a good addition to a preschool. 

It has very vibrant illustrations and a fact page about worms at the back.

Hat Cat by Troy Wilson illustrated by Eve Coy

An old man lives alone. His only companions are the local squirrels. Each day he puts peanuts on his hat and then he sits still on his back verandah waiting for the squirrels to come. One day, as he lifts up his hat, he finds a young cat. He names the cat Hat, and he takes the cat inside his house. Hat becomes a new member of the family. He is fed and cuddled but he is never allowed outside because the old man is concerned that Hat might eat the squirrels. Then one day the man disappears. Some other people eventually arrive and they feed Hat but he is still trapped inside until the day when the youngest child leaves the door open.

This is a gentle story based on the author's own Grandfather and the way he fed the local squirrels after his retirement. It is also a slightly puzzling story which might lead to an interesting discussion with your young reading companion (aged 6+). Why did the old man leave? What did you think might happen when the door was left open? Can you explain the dilemma Hat faces when he does manage to go outside? How and why does the point of view change on the second last page? Who are the people who come to feed Hat?

Here is an interview with the illustrator Eve Coy. She says: I love adding in the background story through the pictures. For example the empty second chair in the sitting room shows the old man didn’t always live alone and it gently hints at an accepted loneliness without being too upsetting.

A sweet peek at the bond between a man and his cat. Kirkus

Wilson doesn’t need many words to tell the story, not only because he cleverly says a lot by saying a little, but mainly because the illustrations by Eve Coy express so much. The illustrator’s beautiful watercolour images give off a sense of tranquility all while bringing to life the love between and old man and his animal friends—this tale of patience, family, and kindness is the perfect bedtime story... DC Canada Education

This book reminded me of these:

A Home for Gnomes

Old Fellow

The Biscuit Maker

Heart and Soul

Troy Wilson says he was inspired by this book - Waiting for the Whales.

Heart and Soul by Carol Ann Martin illustrated by Tull Suwannakit

Charlie Wintergreen loves to play his trumpet and remember the past when he played in a dance-band. His companion now is a small scruffy dog called Louis that he has rescued from the Dogs' Home. Louis, named perhaps after Louis Armstrong, loves to sing along with Charlie.

One night Charlie becomes quite ill and he is taken away in an ambulance. Louis has lost his best friend. 

"So Louis became a street dog, a scrawny, no-name stray. He learned to scavenge and scrounge for food. He slept in dark corners at night."

Louis keeps looking for Charlie. Then on Christmas Eve he hears a musician. Pete is a busker. He makes a living playing his trumpet out in the street. Louis joins in with his song and soon the pair have a heap of coins in Pete's busker's hat. Pete takes Louis home to his share house and they become partners. This is a small town and word of their music reaches the matron at the Rowantree Nursing Home. Pete and Louis are invited to play for the residents on Christmas Day. You have probably guessed there is an old man in the home "an old man in a wheelchair (who) lifted his trumpet and started to play."

Image Source: Tull Suwannakit

Given the current social situation and the coming together to protect elderly members of our population, this book unknowingly expresses the value we place in our wisest of community members.   Reading Time

I would read this book with some jazz music playing in the background. You might talk to your young reading companion about soul music and the expression to play music with your heart and soul. It might also be good to compare Louis with other "famous" stray dogs in Australian Picture books such as Mutt Dog and Reggie Queen of the Street. I'd also recommend taking a look at the wordless book Stormy. Carol Ann Martin lives in Tasmania and her husband is a jazz musician!

I am gathering books published in 2020 which might be added to the CBCA Notables list which will be announced at the end of February. Fingers crossed Heart and Soul makes the cut.

It is so sad when an elderly person is moved into a care home and I know a children's picture book or novel cannot undo the difficulties or hurt of this situation but books like Heart and Soul and others I have placed here might help a young child explore their emotions and hopefully ask questions if they have an elderly relative in this situation.

Wilfrid Gordon McDonald Partridge

Newspaper Hats

A home for Gnomes

A Rabbit named Harris

The ABC with Honora Lee

Beverly, Right Here by Kate DiCamillo

Buddy died, and Beverly buried him, and then she set off toward Lake Clara."

"I'm glad you're here,' said Iola. But I worry about you. You're too young to be away from home - I know you are. Surely someone is looking for you. But you give me comfort, and I can't help it - I'm glad you're here."

Why did I love this book?

The kindness of strangers is a strong theme in this book and in the previous story Louisiana's Way Home. I love the simple acceptance by Iola that Beverly has come to stay, perhaps for a short time, and that for now Beverly needs kindness, friendship, food and a place to stay.

The comfort of food. Beverly does not like tuna but Iola makes her a sandwich "it tasted like fish, but it also tasted good. Iola had toasted the bread and melted cheese on top of the tuna, and the sandwich was warm in Beverly's hands."  I get a great sense of comfort from that word 'warm.'  "There was something about sitting at the tiny table in the tiny kitchen in the tiny trailer and having Iola slide a plate of food in front of her that made Beverly feel like a little kid might feel - happy, taken care of."

The raw emotions.  Beverly desperately misses her dog Buddy, She misses her friends especially Raymie. Beverly takes a photo from the owner of the fish shop, where she is working.
"She took the picture of happy Mr. Denby out of her pocket. 
Happy Mr. Denby and his happy wife and happy kids ... 
Photographs like this were a lie. 
They promised something impossible. 
People were terrible to other people. That was the truth. She wanted Buddy. 
She wished he were sitting next to her..."

The power of words. Someone takes her flip flops when she leaves them on the beach after her first day working in the fish restaurant. I just gasped at the awfulness of this. Beverly has to walk back to the trailer park barefoot. With the word 'fire' Kate DiCamillo tells you just how totally painful this walk is:
"She walked through the sand and up to the hot pavement and down the side of the A1A in her bare feet.  She turned off A1A and walked down the sea-shell drive of the Seahorse Court. Her feet felt like they were on fire."

Meeting new people and making friends. I love the relationships which unfold in this story. Iola reaches out to Beverly.  Iola doesn't ask questions about Beverly's past. She is happy to accept Beverly right here and now! Beverly reaches out to the little girl Vera who wants to ride the mechanical horse outside the store. She befriends Robbie the little boy at the beach and patiently builds sandcastles with him. Beverly is so good at reading people. She knows Elmer is a decent and kind person. She knows Jerome is bad news. She doesn't criticise Frankie even though it is clear her dreams of fame and fortune are probably never going to happen. She even has some understanding of Mr Denby and his deep sadness missing his daughters.

The discovery of things I did not know. Beverly buys wax lips in the store and meets the boy with the unfortunate name of Elmer. I didn't really know what wax lips were but I was able to make a guess

The structure of the story. The words in the phone box about the crooked little house by a crooked little sea are a gently recurring theme and they are so perfect:

In a crooked little house by a crooked little sea.

Beverly shows the graffiti to Elmer. "It was strange, almost painful, to hear someone else say the words. It was as if Elmer were reading something that had been written inside of her, carved into her."

The importance of community.  I loved the scene where Beverly buys $40 worth of raffle tickets so Iola can win the turkey - such kindness but with out schmaltz then of course they have to cook that turkey and invite everyone to share a delicious Christmas meal even though it is the middle of the year and so we return to the comfort of food.

Here are a few more thoughts. I don't know how she does it but when I read a Kate DiCamillo book I really hear the voices of the characters - with an American accent - think about this because I am reading this book here in Australia.

I just re-read the review of Raymie Nightingale by Betsy Bird for the School Library Journal. I have said this before but Betsy is so eloquent. She says everything I think but don't manage to say.

How lucky am I?  My local store Beachside Bookshop very generously gave me an Advanced Reader Copy of Beverly, Right Here the third and final in the series that began with Raymie Nightingale and continued with Louisiana's way Home. Beverly Right here will be available at the end of September.

There will be a three book box set available in December this year just in time for Christmas. If you have a keen reader in your home I highly recommend you add this set to their Christmas stocking. I have added it to my wishlist.

"And I think all three books are about the power of community - the grace of someone opening a door and welcoming you in, and maybe most of all, having the courage to walk through that door once it is open."  Kate DiCamillo (letter to the reader in Beverly, Right Here.)

This is a story about the possibility that life can make you laugh and life can give you friendship. This is a story about tiny bits of trust.  This is a story about a feeling down in your stomach that's a whole lot like the flutter of the wings of a bird that just might begin to stir and maybe even, glory be, rise inside you. A Book and a Hug

The ACB with Honora Lee by Kate DeGoldi illustrated by Gregory O'Brien

This is a fascinating book because I am not sure who The ACB with Honora Lee will appeal too.  I enjoyed it as an adult but I think only a very sensitive upper Primary reader will appreciate this gentle story.  I hope to put this book into the hands of a reader this term and we will see their reaction.

If you have read Wilfrid Gordon McDonald Partridge then this book might extend your discussion of this important issue with an older child.  I also recommend Penny Pollard's Diary which explores the theme of visiting older residents in a care facility.  You could also read Heartbeat by Sharon Creech, Pearl verses the world by Sally Murphy and Don't Breathe a word by Marianne Musgrove.  For a different picture book on this theme try Newspaper Hats by Phil Cummings.  I also recommend you take a dip into the Silk family books which have a similar feeling of community to the one Perry creates within the nursing home where her grandmother Honora Lee resides.

Perry is a very special girl.  She is the only child of busy parents who have quite rigid ideas about child rearing.  Every day (except Friday) Perry is sent to an after school activity.  Most of these are actually torture for Perry who has an inquiring mind but no aptitude for music (piano Monday, clarinet Wednesday) or movement (Thursday).  She "found it almost impossible to read the music and count and make her hands do different things at more or less the same time."

Luckily she does like writing (Tuesday with Haruka Holme) and she is reward with origami animals "fashioned from washi paper which was delicate and beautifully patterned."

One weekend Perry and her dad visit her grandmother, Honora Lee, in a nursing home.  When Perry's Thursday movement class is cancelled Perry makes the perfect suggestion.  She will visit her grandmother each Thursday. The parents agree (thank goodness).  Each week Perry walks to Santa Lucia with her babysitter Nina and Nina's son Claude.  They take a container of home baking and it is through the sharing of these treats each week that Perry comes to know some of the other residents. Honora herself is a mystery but every now and then she makes a pithy comment or quotes a classic text and gradually a special relationship between Perry and Honora grows.

"See how the fates their gifts allot" The Mikado Gilbert and Sullivan
"Oh for a muse of fire that would ascend"  Henry V Shakespeare.

Perry decides to make a gift for Honora Lee - an ABC book.  As with all plans this one will need some modification along the way.  Trying to be systematic and work through from A to Z is impossible and so the book becomes the ACB as Perry jumps around the alphabet filling her book with words, concepts, people, thoughts and emotions that she hopes her precious grandmother will appreciate. Perry herself is a beautiful character.  Wise beyond her years, patient and persistent.

Here is a little sample of this writing - Perry recites the alphabet.

"Eh Bee See Dee Eee Eff Gee .. Cue Are Ess Tee You Vee"

One of the most interesting aspects of this book are the illustrations.  I cannot think of any books with a similar style.  Take a look at a video about the illustrator Gregory O'Brien.  If you are reading this blog from New Zealand you might be able to see the stage adaption of this book.  You can read about the author Kate De Goldi here.  Here is an interview with a bookseller who will give you some more details about this very special book.

Clever, poignant and sweetly funny, this will be especially appreciated by those who’ve experienced a loved one with dementia.