Sweetest of Lemons

Award-winning author Daniel Nayeri, who was born in Iran and immigrated to Oklahoma as a refugee, captivated readers with his poignant memoir Everything Sad Is Untrue (Printz Award Winner), the epic adventure The Many Assassinations of Samir, the Seller of Dreams (Newbery Award Honor), and the World War II novel The Teacher of Nomad Land (National Book Award). A former publisher, editor, and pastry chef, he resides along the East CoastRahele Jomepour Bell is a picture book illustrator who grew up in Iran, among her Grandma’s fairy tales (which she has never been able to find in a book) and the devastation of war. She holds an MFA in integrated visual arts and is an assistant professor at the Kansas City Art Institute. She is happiest creating illustrations that make the imagination travel, take a new look at old ideas, and reaffirm the viewer of their natural place in this world.

★"Artfully rendered, dazzlingly circuitous... The intentionally digressive text pauses and lingers, vividly situating the reader in the characters’ yearning... 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." — Publishers Weekly (starred)