A Lemon for Safiya (Jemima Shafei-Ongu, illus Nisaluk Chantanakom, Lothian)

A Lemon for Safiya is a gentle and respectful story about a family’s compassionate response to a disoriented older woman whose ‘eyes held a sadness as deep as the ocean’. Written in English with sections of translated Arabic, Jemima Shafei-Ongu (Aslan and Benny, illustrated by Jade Goodwin) beautifully handles natural bilingual communication across three generations. Nisaluk Chantanakom’s exquisite illustrations deepen the story by giving insight into a lost past and a distant homeland. Each page invites reflection, just as ‘every line on her face seemed to hold a story’. Suitable for preschool and primary-aged children, the book provides discussion points on cultural diversity, language preservation, respect for elders, multisensory memories, and the different ways families communicate and function. Empathy and humanity are depicted on every page as the old woman finds her way back home with the help of young Safiya and her family. At the end of the story, the woman gives Safiya a lemon, but the true gift is Safiya’s growing understanding that relationships and memories shape who we are. A Lemon for Safiya is an excellent resource for parents and educators who want to explore themes of family heritage, aging, generational changes and compassion.

Books+Publishing reviewer: Merril Darling is a freelance book reviewer based in Melbourne. Books+Publishing is Australia’s number-one source of pre-publication book reviews.

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