My children’s picture book entry, The Lemon Tree, has made the longlist for the Golden Baobab Prize – I am thrilled to bits! You can read more about it if you click on the link to my blog.

Here’s a brief description of the story:
A rainy day is the perfect time to make pancakes, or so Gogo thinks, although would you believe there is no flour, eggs or milk left in the house? Lungi and Sipho are sent off to find the missing ingredients, making sure they take some lemons from their tree to distribute to their kind neighbours. A gentle story with a slight twist in the tale which perfectly illustrates the uniquely African concept of ubuntu.

The funny thing is, on the same day I was contacted by the Golden Baobab Prize organisers, I had earlier found out that neither of my entries for the Tafelberg City Press Nonfiction Prize were among the finalists. I was devastated, having put so much of myself into the entries. I went for a walk when Gavin got back from work (thanks to my kind husband for always allowing me plenty of space and fresh air) and I prayed silently in my heart for God to encourage me. Then when I got home, Gavin told me the good news about being on the longlist. How amazing is that! Sometimes our prayers take years to get answered and sometimes they get answered straight away, it seems.

Here’s a photo of the real lemon tree outside my study window, with Ginger lounging underneath it.

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Read more about the Golden Baobab Prize on my blog.