The Sweetest of Lemons

A refueling break unfurls into a layered tale of longing in this artfully rendered, dazzlingly circuitous picture book from Nayeri (A Knot Is Not a Tangle) and Jomepour Bell (Where I Grew). Eagerly awaiting arrival at his grandfather’s orchard, a young narrator, driving with his parents a “forever-long way” across the desert from Isfahan, stops at the house of a storyteller, Abbas. After some convincing, Abbas begins a meandering tale: “Once there was, and once there wasn’t.... And once upon a time,” a mother and three sons puzzle over the disappearance of the family’s unique treasure. The single precious lemon, which develops once yearly on an unusual tree, is “so perfectly sweet that it cured sadness itself.” When the family finally, after years of attempts, discover the reason behind the lemon’s annual vanishing, the youngest brother goes on a quest, through a well and into a deep underworld, to retrieve the fruit. The intentionally digressive text pauses and lingers, vividly situating the reader in the characters’ yearning—the protagonist’s desire to get to his grandfather’s farm, a secondary character’s wish for children—as well as experiences of abiding sweetness. Echoing the story’s nested structure, Jomepour Bell twines densely patterned gouache images and collage illustrations that draw on Persian artworks. It all culminates in a smartly braided story that’s fully invested in its own expansive telling. Creators’ notes conclude. Ages 4–8. Author’s agent: Joanna Volpe, New Leaf Literary & Media. Illustrator’s agent: Christy Ewers, CAT Agency. (June)