Review - Lemon Child

Lemon Child
by Nele Brönner
Date: 2020
Publisher: NorthSouth Books
Reading level: C
Book type: picture book
Pages: 32
Format: e-book
Source: NetGalley

The lemons on the tree are finally ripe, and there is great excitement.

Only one of the little lemons is still green. Little Tony has a mind of his own. The view from the lemon tree is enough for him. Who wants to go out into the big wild world? But soon Tony is the only lemon left hanging on the tree. Will he take a risk and jump? When Tony finally lets go, his courage is rewarded.

Nele Brönner’s humorous story about maturity and growing up with her expressive style is sure to charm little listeners.

(synopsis from Goodreads)

Well, that was weird.

This is a book about a reluctant lemon named Tony. While all his brothers and sisters are ripening and falling from the lemon tree, Tony's content to remain green and stay stuck to his branch. But when all of his family is gone, Tony finds that he's a bit lonely. So he decides to take the plunge...

I was engaged with the story up until the ending. After Tony falls from the tree, he isn't really "rewarded", as the synopsis says... unless "rewarded" has a different meaning that I don't know about. He ends up placed on a windowsill where he'll have the same view of the world until he rots. But the lack of a change of scenery was the reason he let himself fall from the tree in the first place!

The illustrations are amusing, and the whole concept is sort of wonderfully absurd. The ending kind of weakened the whole reading experience for me, but I'm not sure what kind of ending the book should've had. When we're talking about an anthropomorphized food, getting placed on a windowsill is probably the least horrifying of options.

Overall... this is weird. But it might appeal to some readers. Check it out for the pictures, anyway.

Thank you to NetGalley and NorthSouth Books for providing a digital ARC.

Premise: 3/5
Meter: n/a
Writing: 4/5
Illustrations: 3/5
Originality: 4/5

Enjoyment: 3/5

Overall: 3.33 out of 5