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ENTRY TYPE:
WORK TITLE: The Fig Tree
WORK NOTES:
PSEUDONYM(S):
BIRTHDATE:
WEBSITE: https://www.costantiamanoli.com/
CITY:
STATE:
COUNTRY: Cyprus
NATIONALITY:
LAST VOLUME: SATA 395
RESEARCHER NOTES:
PERSONAL
Born in the United Kingdom; married; children: two daughters.
ADDRESS
CAREER
Writer and educator. Has also worked as a pastoral advisor and conflict resolution facilitator.
WRITINGS
SIDELIGHTS
BIOCRIT
PERIODICALS
Booklist, May 1, 2022, Carolyn Phelan, review of Tomatoes in My Lunchbox, p. 51.
Kirkus Reviews, April 15, 2022, review of Tomatoes in My Lunchbox.
School Library Journal, August, 2022, Shelly M. Diaz, review of Tomatoes in My Lunchbox, p. 71.
ONLINE
Beth Anderson, Children’s Writer website, https://bethandersonwriter.com/ (July 29, 2022), Beth Anderson, author interview.
Costantia Manoli website, https://www.costantiamanoli.com/ (January 23, 2023).
M.S. Wordsmith, https://mswordsmith.nl/ (January 23, 2023), author interview.
12×12, https://www.12x12challenge.com/ (December 24, 2020), author interview.*
Costantia Manoli was born in the United Kingdom to Cypriot parents and spent the picture book period of her life in London contending with a name that even she has difficulty pronouncing in English! She spent her middle grade and young adult years in Cyprus and then the USA, the UK and back round again.
Costantia has worked with art, literature and young people in various professional guises; teacher, pastoral advisor and conflict resolution facilitator, and with a number of professional and educational organizations such as Fulbright, Amideast, Critical Mass Leadership Education and Bold Leaders. She is a Fulbright Scholar twice over, receiving scholarships as an undergraduate student and as an FLTA at Stanford University. She recently won the inaugural SCBWI Stephen Fraser Encouragement Award and in 2023 was nominated for the Ezra Jack Keats Writer Award.
She now lives amid almond and olive trees on the outskirts of a hot, dusty Cypriot village; the Green Line and buffer zone checkpoints clearly visible from her kitchen windows. Her two young daughters, English hubby, lioness-dog Luna and hyperactive doggo Woody keep her busy and are an endless source of story ideas, new characters and constant interruptions.
Special Teaching Staff in English Literature
Qualifications
MA in Fine Art (University of Northampton, 2011)
BA Single Honors English Language and Literature (University of Leeds, 2001)
Specialization
English (Literature & creative writing, poetry and children’s literature)
Employment Track
English Language, Literature and Drama Teacher, American Academy Larnaca (2001-Present)
Head of Year 5, American Academy Larnaca (2006 – 2009)
Educational Material Editor, Ministry of Education (2006-2009)
FLTA Lecturer in Greek Language and Cypriot Studies, Stanford University CA,USA (2007 – 2008)
Memberships (Academic/Professional)
SCBWI (professional)
12×12 (professional)
Research Interests
I have a special interest in Postcolonial literature and diversity in children’s literature. This is also reflected in my writing at all levels and is inextricably linked to my own lived experiences as an immigrant and a repatriated Cypriot. The overarching key theme that connects Postcolonial literatures and my own writing is always identity and how identity is inherited, created and understood (especially hybrid identities) and how we represent those complex identities in our work.
Roles and Responsibilities (including past roles and responsibilities)
Teaching and Course Leadership
List of modules taught:
A World of Difference: Literature in Translation
From Romantics to Decadents: Literary Culture 1789-1900
Reading Texts: Literary Theory
Selective Publications
‘The Fig Tree’ (Roaring Brook/Macmillan USA, June 2025)
‘Tomatoes in My Lunchbox’ (Roaring Brook/Macmillan, June 2022)
‘Larnakes’ Larnaka The Anthology (Armida Books, 2021)
‘100 Words of Solitude’ (Rare Swan Press, 2021)
Selective Conference and Seminar Presentations
FAME – ‘Picture Book Power’ panel (November 2023 – Orlando, Florida)
SCBWI Children’s Book Changemakers’ Conference (June 2023)
English Language Writers of Cyprus (November 2021 – European University Cyprus)
Migration, Inclusion and Identity in Cyprus and the Middle East (May 2021 – Sharq.org)
Commonwealth Writers Program Cyprus (June 2019)
Selective Research Funding/ Grant Capture
Bullet point list of some selective research projects/research funding
Program/Call, Project Title, Project Role (researcher, assistant, primary investigator, work package leader, etc.), Funding Amount, start year- end year.
Consultancy and CPD Training
(last 6 months only as have been doing regular CPD training for over 20 years!)
‘Recommendations for VET Providers on Including People with a Disability in Erasmus+ Professional Mobility’ Go For VET
AI in Education
Planning: starter & plenary activities and Adaptive Learning
Scholarships/Awards
SCBWI – Stephen Fraser Encouragement Award 2023
Awards/Accolades for ‘Tomatoes in My Lunchbox’:
A Kirkus Best Book 2022 – ‘Most Empowering’
A Bookstagang Best Book ‘Future Classic’ 2022
Sunday Morning with Rodney Lear ‘Recommended Summer Reading List’ 2022
An Ezra Jack Keats Writer Award 2023 finalist
SSYRA Jr Award 2023-2024 finalist
A Sunday Morning Magazine with Rodney Lear ‘Best of the Best from Past 10 Years’ selection 2023
2023-2024 Chickadee Award finalist
2023-2024 FLA Children’s Book Award
FLTA Stanford University 2007-2008
Fulbright Scholar (undergraduate) 1998
Other Scholarly and Outreach Activities
Bicommunal Work (outreach):
‘Winds of Change’ advisor (windsofchange-cyprus.com Cyprus – 2023)
‘Bold Leaders’, Greek-Speaking Cypriot Team Leader & facilitator (CMLE, Denver, Colordo – USA – 2005, 2006, 2007)
Oregon State University, English teachers Bi-communal Programme, Participant (Corvallis, Oregon – USA – 2003)
Cyprus’ buffer zone fig tree
cover Cyprus’ buffer zone fig tree
Cyprus
Monday 25 November 2024 | 14:30
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By Alix Norman
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‘We’ve had 50 years of division; 50 years of failure. 50 years of the same conversation, over and over again’
In the middle of No Man’s Land, there stands a lonely fig tree.
Each summer, its fruit ripens. But nobody comes to share it; years of fear and division have divided the island. The fig tree has been all but forgotten…
Except by Constantia Manoli. Who, every morning, looks out of her kitchen window, and sees the fig tree standing tall – “behind the checkpoints, amid the olives and almonds.”
Constantia lives on the outskirts of Lympia, a place she describes as “a hot, dusty Cypriot village overlooking the Green Line.” She wasn’t born there – her first decade was lived thousands of miles away, under the grey and rain of London. Like many others, her family moved to the UK after 1974: a new life for her father who had fought on the front lines; who had seen friends and family fall; who could not bring himself to speak of the war.
But now, she lives in Cyprus. And she sees the fig tree every day in “the place between two worlds. Barriers rise,” she ponders, “yet nature has endured. Perhaps there’s hope that peace, too, might one day take root and grow…”
For most, the thought would end there. But Constantia is a writer. Her first book, Tomatoes In My Lunchbox, was released by publishing giant Macmillan in 2022. It’s a delightful (and multiple award-winning) children’s story that mirrors her own childhood in the UK: the immigrant experience of feeling constantly out of place.
But her second book, set to be released next year, reflects her more recent life: a tale of the barriers and borders she sees every day from her kitchen window. It’s called, quite simply, The Fig Tree…
“The book was directly inspired by my life in Cyprus,” says Constantia. “By my dad – who still finds it hard to talk of the war. By the bicommunal programmes that bring so much hope to a divided island. And by what I can see out of my kitchen window.
“The ongoing division of our island is an issue that, like the fig tree, is getting older: we’ve had 50 years of division; 50 years of failure; 50 years of the same conversation, over and over again. I’m not a politician,” she adds. “And I cannot claim to have solutions. But I am a writer. I dream up the ‘what ifs?’ And I can imagine what is possible.”
In The Fig Tree, Constantia does just that. Told from the point of view of the fig tree itself, the story is the past, present, and possible future, starting with ‘The warm days before, when laughter and friendship knew no boundaries.
‘The old tree remembers fig-picking days from years before, when the two sides of her divided island were bound together, friends gathered to collect her fruit while children played. Then they spread their patchwork blankets under the gauzy shade to share food and recipes, stories, and songs until their shadows stretched long on the ground.’
But then came the guns, the tanks, the troops. ‘The conflict that tore her people apart,’ writes Constantia. And when a line was scratched across the island, there were no more gatherings under the fig tree.
‘Yet, with changing seasons comes renewed hope,’ runs the story. ‘And the old tree dreams of a future where sharing summer’s first figs might mend those broken bonds. She sees how things could be. One will pick the fig and tear it in half, reaching out across the rift to share the sweetness with the other…’
There’s a poignant message to this book. And it’s not just for children.
“Children’s books are a unique genre,” says Constantia. “You’re writing for younger readers, but it’s usually being read out by the adults. And The Fig Tree has a message for all ages: for the adults who have been unable to sort things out for over 50 years, for the children who are the future.”
It’s a message of hope, of peace, of reconciliation. A message for the next generation.
“Those with direct experience of 1974 are getting older; when they’re gone, what will be left?” she asks. “Our children are the future of this island; we need to stop messing things up for them. And so the message in The Fig Tree is simple: what if we came together, worked together? What would happen if, today, our children could once more share the fruit of our land?”
Constantia’s work is well-known around the world. Not only is she an award-winning author, she’s also a teacher, lecturer and illustrator. And, when it’s released next year, The Fig Tree will be bought, and read, and loved by hundreds of thousands of people.
Author Constantia Manoli
“It’s putting Cyprus in the hands of young readers and their grown-ups around the world,” she says. “And though I recognise that’s a wonderful, terrifying responsibility, it’s also an opportunity to share our history with an audience who may not even know the island exists.
“Children are not powerless,” she adds. “In fact, it’s quite the opposite: they often see things much more clearly than adults; they’re capable of immense love. And I firmly believe they’re the key to building peace on our island. Because the adults can’t do it, can they?”
Constantia is clear that the story is not meant to be political. “It’s not a detailed record of history.” Instead, she reiterates, it’s a ‘what if?’ What if we stopped letting the past dictate our future? What if the next generation didn’t inherit our prejudices? What if, instead of conflict, we choose connection?
“It’s about imagining a different path forward – a path where the youngest amongst us can finally begin to heal the island’s wounds.”
For Constantia – who has seen first-hand the effects of generational trauma – The Fig Tree stands for hope. It stands for the peace, community and forgiveness she believes the island needs to heal its wounds.
“In the story, a solitary tree brings two children together across the divide. Every morning, I look out of my window and I see the fig tree, growing older – alone. And I think ‘what if?’”
The Fig Tree, written by Constantia Manoli and illustrated by Leah Giles, is available for pre-order. For more information, visit Macmillan publishers, or the Facebook page ‘Costantia Manoli – Author & Illustrator’
Costantia was born in the UK to Cypriot parents and spent the picture book period of her life in London (battling with a name that even she has difficulty pronouncing in English!). She spent her middle grade and young adult years in Cyprus and then the USA and then back round again.
She now lives amidst almond and olive trees on the outskirts of a hot, dusty Cypriot village, the Green Line and buffer zone checkpoints clearly visible from her kitchen windows. Her two young daughters, English hubby, lioness-dog Luna, and hyperactive pup Woody keep her busy and are an endless source of story ideas, new characters, and constant interruptions. Her debut picture book Tomatoes in my Lunchbox will be available in spring/summer 2022 (Roaring Brook Press/Macmillan USA).
Author interview – Costantia Manoli
Hi Costantia, I’m so glad you found the time to answer my questions! Let’s dive right in: When did you start writing, and why?
I have always written, probably before I could even actually write as a child. What I mean is, I’ve always had a very distinct internal world—it’s like a constant conversation with myself about the world around me, the way I see things, the way I understand things, the way I project things. I now recognise that this is part of my creative process, it’s my creative voice—my writer’s voice! As I developed the skill to actually form letters on the page, and then words and sentences, this internal world took the creative form of writing (as well as drawing/painting/illustrating).
At what age did you take yourself seriously as a writer?
I find it difficult as a writer to talk about taking myself seriously—maybe I always have… maybe I never will! I’ve always written. I’ve always created. I’ve always taken the work itself seriously. A lot of that work has been rejected. And some work has not—so I suppose when you get that validation, when something happens (for me this was two weeks after my 40th birthday, when I signed with my agent), then you start to think—well actually, maybe I am a writer!
Do you prefer the term ‘writer’ or ‘author’, and why?
I am both a writer and an author. There is a certain formality that comes with the word author—so maybe that’s when I start taking myself a bit more seriously! Perhaps it’s that writing is the creative craft itself, but authoring is the job? I do both and I use both!
I recently had a discussion about this with my co-host over at the Diving into Writing podcast and she said something similar! For her, writer refers to the actual writing of the book and author encompasses the whole business that comes with having that book out in the world. I quite like that distinction.
How long did it take you to write your first book?
It didn’t take very long to actually, physically write—I rushed home from work one day with the story bubbling in my head in one of those frantic got-to-write-it-now modes and got it all down in one sitting. This is unusual for me—I usually start and stop and let the story build itself. Of course, there have been many revisions since then, but the essence of it has stayed the same. What took a long time—years and years, in fact—was getting to the point where I could write that particular story and write it in that way. I had to write all the not-so-great stories first, all the almost-good-but-not-quite-there-yet stories and some those were good but maybe not in the right place at the right time.
Either way, I had to get them out of the way to make space for this one to come to me. And it really did come to me—it arrived almost written. All the years of writing and wrangling before that had paved the way for this story to land—it was the culmination of years of work and a springboard for new work too!
What was your last book about?
My last book/first book is a children’s book about a girl who feels displaced in her new country when her teacher mispronounces her name. She discovers that all it takes is one friend, one connection, to bring two worlds together.
What are you working on right now?
I am working on the second children’s book, which will also be out with Roaring Brook Press/Macmillan USA in (hopefully!) 2023 and a middle grade novel. More info on those to come soon!
What is your writing process like? Do you plot or do you just dive in? How many drafts do you go through before the work is final?
I snatch as much time as I can in between the day job and motherhood and all the other things life throws in my way. I think I do a combination of plotting and diving in. Mostly diving though and then I feel my way through it. I find the formality of plotting intimidating so it can block my writing. Once I have something on paper to work with—even just a line or two, or a list of words, then I can start pulling it together and figure out the plot points and adjust accordingly. So I suppose plotting becomes part of the revision process rather than part of initial drafting.
What do you struggle with most as a writer?
Time and imposter’s syndrome!
Have you always had that struggle or has it changed over time?
Time has always been an issue in the sense that when I had a lot of time on my hands (pre-kids!), I really didn’t know what to do with it and I couldn’t discipline myself to get as much work done. Now that I have two young children and I simply do not have much time to spare, I am far more focused on what needs to be done. Having very limited time forces me to find inventive ways to squeeze more out of it! I do need that writing time though, I need it to reconnect with myself—however many minutes it may be—without it, I feel untethered.
What advice would you give to writers dealing with the same?
While it’s lovely to think of writing as something special and sacred (and it really IS both of those things), you sometimes have to be a bit irreverent with the way you do it. You cannot always have the perfect space and a clear stretch of time to get things done. Sometimes you have to write things on the back of a receipt with one hand while wiping a child’s snotty nose with the other! Also, you cannot always control when your writer’s voice will start talking out loud—it’s always ticking away and working in the background, but sometimes it will speak up and you have to write it down whatever else it is that you are doing at the time!
This is not inspiration—this is your mind doing the work while perhaps you are working on some other unrelated task. Whatever it is, you have to write it somewhere when it comes to you, even if you cannot actually give it the full attention that it needs at that moment—I know that as much as I think I will remember something, if I don’t write it down immediately, it will leave me! I’ll remember that I had something, but I will not remember what the thing is. Family life—especially with young children—can be very demanding and can overwrite everything else.
So, write it all down—whenever you can, wherever you can! You cannot wait for the stars to align and inspiration to strike or you’ll be waiting potentially forever! You really have to work at it. Put the work in first, sparkly stars and inspo will come later!
Have you ever had writer’s block? If yes, how did you overcome it?
I frequently find myself worrying about where the next idea will come from or how to move forward from where I am. I find that a good long dog walk usually clears that up. If not, skipping to the next bit or starting from a different place can help. Webinars on craft or talks by writers also help to get the mind and imagination working, as well as a simple conversation with a writer friend—not necessarily about writing! Or, I’ll open a book on creativity, craft, and writing, etc., at a random page (Elizabeth Gilbert’s Big Magic is especially good for this!) and see if it sparks anything.
I love that book. It changed my entire way of thinking about writing. Is there anything else that helps you stay inspired?
It’s the work itself that inspires me—I don’t wait for inspiration to strike before I get to work. And work isn’t always the writing itself—I read, I write, I draw, I walk, I parent, I live life, all this is part of the writing process. There’s always something there if you’re open to it!
Who’s your favourite author?
This is a very tricky question! I am not good at picking favourites at all! I do love Seamus Heaney, Penelope Lively, Jeanette Winterson, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, Caitlin Moran, and and and…
What’s your favourite book?
I really do find ‘favourite’ questions very tricky. I have different favourites at different times. A book that has had a huge impact on my life and my writing would be Moon Tiger by Penelope Lively. I studied this text as a teenager at A-Level and it really has stayed with me, flexing and changing throughout the years. I have had multiple copies as I lend it out to people so often but never seem to get it back. I’ve lost count of how many times I have replaced it! But you know, if it means the book is out there being read and reread and loved, then I’m happy to contribute to that cycle!
OK, last ‘favourite’ question, I promise… What’s your favourite book on the craft?
Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott and Writing Down the Bones by Natalie Goldberg (told you I’m terrible at choosing favourites!)
What’s the best writing advice you ever received?
In Bird by Bird, Anne Lamott says, ‘the only way I can get anything written at all, is to write really, really shitty first drafts.’ This really speaks to my heart and I take this very seriously. My first drafts are usually excellently shitty!
I’m reading it right now, slowly slowly, because there’s so much wisdom in those pages. I thought it would be a quick read, like Stephen King’s On Writing, but there’s just something about it that makes me want to savour every paragraph…
Thank you so much, Costantia, for doing this with me!
You can find Costantia on her website, Twitter, and Instagram.
MANOLI, Costantia. The Fig Tree: A Story About Building Friendship and Peace in Cyprus. illus. by Leah Giles. 40p. Roaring Brook. Jun. 2025. Tr $18.99. ISBN 9781250763136.
K-Gr 3--The fig tree remembers when friends from both sides of its island shared their fruit while the children played, and the two communities shared common words, songs, and sunny days. The fig tree remembers when the fighting started and what happened next: friendships broken, soldiers on the ground, and gunfire shaking the tree to its roots. A general then drew a line in green pencil to divide the island; that boundary is still in place with barbed wire, clearly shown in illustrations. This is all based on real events: in 1974, the island of Cyprus split in two, following years of conflict. A Green Line was created that goes north to south and divides the Republic of Cyprus (Greek Cypriot) from Turkish Cypriot. This fig tree was there before the conflict and continues to be there today. Manoli, whose parents are Cypriot, includes a small glossary and an author's note, where she goes into more detail behind the separation and her hope for peaceful future. Giles uses a mix of handmade textures with gouache and acrylic paint along with drawn digital art. The artwork is heartbreakingly beautiful, showing bright summer and the fig tree, soldiers on the ground and fires in buildings, barbed wire going up, and the general drawing the dividing line with a green pencil. While the writing is clear and detailed, the illustrations almost tell the story alone. VERDICT A great narrative nonfiction purchase on a topic that is rarely discussed.--Kerri L. Williams
KEY: * Excellent in relation to other titles on the same subject or In the same genre | Tr Hardcover trade binding | Board Board book | pap. Paperback | BL Bilingual | SP Spanish
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2025 A wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
http://www.schoollibraryjournal.com/
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Williams, Kerri L. "MANOLI, Costantia. The Fig Tree: A Story About Building Friendship and Peace in Cyprus." School Library Journal, vol. 71, no. 4, Apr. 2025, p. 114. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A836879587/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=1aff4e88. Accessed 8 Nov. 2025.
Manoli, Costantia THE FIG TREE Roaring Brook Press (Children's None) $18.99 6, 17 ISBN: 9781250763136
A fig tree in Cyprus that has shaded inhabitants from across the island feels sadness when war leads to a seemingly irreparable divide.
An omniscient narrator describes the tree "remembering" the residents, varied in skin tone, who played and picnicked nearby, enjoying the abundant fruit. The tree notes that language connected the Greek and Turkish residents; all understood the words "majilla" (large fig) and "mashallah" (an Arabic expression of appreciation). Without explanation, the narrator reports that negative words sprang up: "enemy," "traitor." Curious children may wonder why. The vibrant colors, stylized shapes, and swirling textures of Giles' handmade and digital collages, which initially depicted verdant scenes dotted with cheerful pink elements, now portray war. Alliteration and metaphor heighten the drama: "Stomping boots, shuddering tanks, and stuttering gunfire shook the tree--and the island--down to the roots." Ultimately, a north-south boundary divides the land in two; barbed wire fences prevent people from crossing. As years pass, the centrally situated tree waits, hoping that a child from each side will be drawn to again share its succulent gifts, an act that could remind residents of their commonalities. Manoli lives in Cyprus; her author's note details the "centuries-old" fighting that led to this now-50-year division.
While geographically specific, this elegant narrative offers a fruitful springboard to conversations about conflict anywhere. (glossary)(Informational picture book. 5-9)
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2025 Kirkus Media LLC
http://www.kirkusreviews.com/
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"Manoli, Costantia: THE FIG TREE." Kirkus Reviews, 15 Apr. 2025. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A835106500/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=20139774. Accessed 8 Nov. 2025.
Tomatoes in My Lunchbox. By Costantia Manoli. illus. by Magdalena Mora. June 2022. 32p. Roaring Brook, $18.99 (9781250763129). PreS-Gr. 3.
A child whose family has recently immigrated feels uncomfortable at her new school. From her name, which her teachers and classmates mispronounce, to the whole tomato in her lunch, which leaves stains on her dress, everything about her seems different and wrong. Though her mother encourages her to make friends, she doesn't know how. She tries imitating a classmate, but that doesn't work. On the playground, Chloe asks about her name. The child explains that it was her grandmother's, and remembering her beloved namesake, she smiles. Soon afterwards, when Chloe forgets her lunch, the girl shares her tomato. As the two classmates become friends, other children begin to accept the new girl, too. The mispronunciation of names and the foods seen as "weird" at lunchtime are common occurrences in tales of immigrant children, but this picture book, narrated by the girl, makes the outsider's experience more understandable to others. The illustrations, digital collages created with inks, pastels, and water-soluble crayons, are richly colorful and emotionally resonant. An expressive picture book that articulates a young immigrant's viewpoint.--Carolyn Phelan
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2022 American Library Association
http://www.ala.org/aboutala/offices/publishing/booklist/
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Phelan, Carolyn. "Tomatoes in My Lunchbox." Booklist, vol. 118, no. 17, 1 May 2022, p. 51. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A711045839/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=7132344f. Accessed 8 Nov. 2025.
Manoli, Costantia TOMATOES IN MY LUNCHBOX Roaring Brook Press (Children's None) $18.99 6, 21 ISBN: 978-1-250-76312-9
A young immigrant doesn't recognize their own name when students and teachers say it aloud; it's like "it doesn't fit in their mouths."
The narrator has come to a new country, and their heart aches for home (neither their name nor their nation of origin is mentioned in the text). They left "the place where [their] name fit" for a world full of Emmas and Olivias and Sophies. Believing life would be easier as an Emma, the narrator tries to be like a classmate, but that doesn't quite fit either. The tomatoes in their lunchbox don't help. They bite into them like an apple, spilling seeds all over their shirt. The narrator then remembers advice from their grandmother: "A smile can lighten a heavy load." A timid smile leads to tentative friendship with one classmate, then another, as slowly the protagonist starts to realize they do belong here. This is a beautifully told and illustrated story that expresses, with sensitivity and inspired use of figurative language, a child's attempt to fit with the dominant culture--a common experience that will resonate with many readers and inspire empathy in others. Rich, vivid illustrations make superb use of color and convey a sense of movement. The main character is brown-skinned; the classmates are diverse in terms of skin tone. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
A poetic book about the power of a smile and what it means to find home. (afterword) (Picture book. 4-8)
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2022 Kirkus Media LLC
http://www.kirkusreviews.com/
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"Manoli, Costantia: TOMATOES IN MY LUNCHBOX." Kirkus Reviews, 15 Apr. 2022. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A700219853/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=ded01605. Accessed 8 Nov. 2025.