Jemima Shafei-Ongu (text) and Nisaluk Chantanakom (illustrator), A Lemon for Safiya, Lothian Books, May 2025, 32 pp., RRP $24.99 (hbk), ISBN 0781922804907
There are picture books that weave wonderful plots with beautiful illustrations. We enjoy reading them and sharing them with the children in our lives. There are picture books that convey big universal themes and teach us, often told poignantly through layering of text and image. Then there are books like A Lemon for Safiya- which do both.
A Lemon for Safiya tells a touching story of a family’s kind and caring reaction to an elderly woman on the roadside who appears confused and lost. Safiya and her family assist her in finding her way home and through this journey, we start to uncover her name (Maryam), identity and her life. Through the compassionate lens of Safiya, we come to recognise and learn about Maryam, a woman who has been rendered invisible by society due to her circumstances.
Nisaluk Chantanakom’s beautiful illustrations enrich the book, offering glimpses into a faraway homeland. The drawings of lemons throughout the book provides a visual thread and becomes a motif that connects not only the past to the present but also Maryam to Safiya. Readers will love the distinctive feel of the way memory is represented in sketchy, rough patches and how the illustrator depicts the difference between the present illustrated in full colour palette to the past that is paler, disjointed and more emotive. I also loved the images of Australian flora like bottlebrush and eucalyptus leaves that ground this book as an Australian text. The dance of the symbolism of different countries through the pages is quite exquisite.
I always love finding untranslated words from other languages in books I am reading; it is a true reflection of Australian society where we can often hear words we do not understand. In A Lemon for Safiya this is done in a way that does not isolate the reader yet adds depth to the identity of the characters and becomes a wonderful exploration of language, diversity and culture, showcasing natural bilingual interactions among three generations.
According to Dementia Australia, dementia is the leading cause of death in women in this country and represents a significant public health and societal concern as it is on the rise. Dementia adds another layer of difficulty to communities who are already marginalised due to language and cultural barriers. To have a picture book deal with these timely themes in a tender and poetic way is a wonderful feat that I attribute to talent and the writer’s background in counseling and education.
A Lemon for Safiya will be suitable for 3+ as a story book and an excellent resource for educators for any year level to incorporate into their units on diversity, heritage, dementia, trauma, loss, community and Australian families.
Reviewed by H I Cosar
Read our Q &A with author Jemima Shafei-Ongu here.
