"But for the past few years, the sweetest lemon
had been stolen before they could pluck it to
sell to the unhappy rich. Without the lemon, the
family had fallen into poverty, and the mother
was fearful for her sons' futures."
It's a long wait for a young boy living in Isfahan before he can visit his grandfather's farm again. The week finally ends and the family packs the car and heads off. Even that trip in a hot car across an empty landscape takes far too long. A brief stop along the way leads to a welcome visit with Abbas, a gifted storyteller. The child longs to hear just one story. After much cajoling, Abbas agrees and begins with the usual words ... 'Once there was, and once there wasn't ...'
Abbas regales the family with a tale of a mother and her three sons. The family's sole treasure is a lemon tree that gives only one lemon each year. That lemon is so sweet it cures sadness. Before they can sell it to the rich and sad people, the lemon is stolen. It happens again and again; the family is now poor. Each of the sons do their best to discover who is stealing the lemon. In the third year, the youngest son devises a plan that cannot fail.
As he watches, the son sees a dark cloud hiding a giant hand reach down to take the lemon. A perfectly-aimed arrow hits the hand and elicits a terrible roar. The two older brothers come at a run and do their best to retrieve the lemon from a nearby well. After two failed attempts, the youngest takes his turn. Enduring great difficulty, he falls deep into the well and lands in an underworld where a wise shepherd offers advice. The boy follows his sage advice.
He soon hears singing and follows its sound to a princess trapped by a sleeping giant. Knowing the pain they have endured, the princess offers the lemon, and a chance to escape. The young man will not leave the princess. They race away from the giant. With great good luck, and once again taking the shepherd's advice in reverse, the two return to the family's lemon grove.
"They lived together happily ever after
and died together on the same day."
In this story within another story, Daniel Nayeri pens a tale steeped in Persian folklore. It is adventurous and winding, offering readers a tale of perseverance, bravery, and finding love. It would be perfect for a family read on a seemingly endless road trip.
Mixed media and gorgeous artwork embellish every step of the narrative and provide beautiful jewel-toned Persian patterns and calligraphy. To set the story in the present, Ms. Bell uses gouache; to help readers transition to the story told, she creates amazing collage images.
Notes from both author and artist are included and allow readers to understand their connection to their culture and to storytelling. Wonderful!
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