Review: Saliman and the Memory Stone
Saliman and the Memory Stone
by Erica Lyons, illustrated by Yinon Ptahia
Apples & Honey Press (imprint of Behrman House), 2024
Category: Picture Books
Reviewer: Karen Shakman
Buy at Bookshop.org
Saliman and the Memory Stone joins a growing collection of recent books for children that paint a diverse picture of Israeli Jews. In 1841, a young boy travels from his home in Yemen to resettle in Jerusalem as part of the First Aliyah. Young Saliman is sad to leave, afraid he will not remember his home and his village. Before he goes, he tells the goats he will always remember them and pockets a loose stone from his house and calls it his memory stone. Thus begins a journey to retain his past while heading toward his future.
Lyon’s language is lyrical, capturing both the difficulty of the journey and a palpable sense of a loving family and tight-knit community, even as they must endure a long and arduous journey (which is helpfully illustrated in a map at the end of the book). Throughout, Saliman holds his memories dear, as he cherishes the small stone from his home, and remembers the food, music, and poetry of home, all of which the group of travelers carry with them as they journey across sand and sea.
Ptahia’s illustrations are lovely, evoking hot days and clear nights. In one particularly affecting spread, Saliman traces the wrinkles on his grandfather’s hand, revealing all the places they’ve been. In addition, in several illustrations, Saliman’s memories of the past swirl around him or infiltrate his dreams, even as he travels far from Yemen. The message is clear: we never lose who we were and where we come from; it travels with us, no matter how far or how difficult our journey may be.
This is a lovely book, and an important one, as it highlights one of the many faces of Israel. Saliman reminds us that Jews traveled from great distances, and endured hardship, to make a home in Israel, and they came with rich and complicated histories: histories they and their descendants carry with them today.
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Reviewer Karen Shakman lives in Cambridge, MA where she teaches middle school and writes books for children and young adults. She was a member of the PJ Library’s inaugural group of emerging Jewish picture book writers’ at Highlights Foundation in summer 2022, and was a participant in Grub Street’s Novel Generator and Novel Incubator programs.
Saliman and the Memory Stone joins a growing collection of recent books for children that paint a diverse picture of Israeli Jews. In 1841, a young boy travels from his home in Yemen to resettle in Jerusalem as part of the First Aliyah. Young Saliman is sad to leave, afraid he will not remember his home and his village. Before he goes, he tells the goats he will always remember them and pockets a loose stone from his house and calls it his memory stone. Thus begins a journey to retain his past while heading toward his future.
Lyon’s language is lyrical, capturing both the difficulty of the journey and a palpable sense of a loving family and tight-knit community, even as they must endure a long and arduous journey (which is helpfully illustrated in a map at the end of the book). Throughout, Saliman holds his memories dear, as he cherishes the small stone from his home, and remembers the food, music, and poetry of home, all of which the group of travelers carry with them as they journey across sand and sea.
Ptahia’s illustrations are lovely, evoking hot days and clear nights. In one particularly affecting spread, Saliman traces the wrinkles on his grandfather’s hand, revealing all the places they’ve been. In addition, in several illustrations, Saliman’s memories of the past swirl around him or infiltrate his dreams, even as he travels far from Yemen. The message is clear: we never lose who we were and where we come from; it travels with us, no matter how far or how difficult our journey may be.
This is a lovely book, and an important one, as it highlights one of the many faces of Israel. Saliman reminds us that Jews traveled from great distances, and endured hardship, to make a home in Israel, and they came with rich and complicated histories: histories they and their descendants carry with them today.
Are you interested in reviewing books for The Sydney Taylor Shmooze? Click here!
Such an important story, beautifully told with incredible illustrations.
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