Book Review – The Lemon Tree

This is the first children’s picture book from journalist and fiction writer, Katherine Graham. She was long listed for the Short Story Day Africa competition for her short story, Heaven Scent, in 2013.

The Lemon Tree was long listed for the Golden Baobab Prize in 2014. She takes her inspiration from the melting pot that is her home country, South Africa.

The rains have finally come and Gogo wants to make pancakes. She finds she’s run out of the ingredients. She sends her grandchildren, Lungi and Sipho, to pick the golden lemons from the tree in their yard. They take the lemons to various people in the village to trade for flour, milk and eggs.

This is a story about finding clever solutions in a pinch and about a village collaborating to help each other. Each page is colourfully illustrated by Wendy Paterson, an artist and beloved secondary-school teacher. Her expressive and energetic illustrations made story time an interactive affair as my children loved pointing out all the animals on each page.

This is a vibrant book for four to eight-year-olds.

Ewa Fabris
3/5