"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.
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