“Jemima is an engaging presenter who promotes the joy and wonder of storytelling in all forms. She is a wonderful advocate for diverse stories and voices, her sessions are inclusive, interactive and super fun. It has been one of the absolute highlights of the year’s busy events schedule. ”
— Rachel Robson
Manager of children's books, Gleebooks, Sydney
“Jemima was wonderful to work with, professional throughout the entire process, and enthusiastic with lots of creative ideas to make the program fun and engaging for children and their families.
The program incorporated reading, language, and songs, and feedback from the families attending was very positive. I look forward to working with Jemima again in the future.”
— Bec Shelberg
Children’s & Young Adults Librarian
Stanton Library
“What a delight it was to have Jemima come to our library for an author talk with the Melbourne launch of her book A Lemon for Safiya.
Not only did she engage the audience of both children and adults with the reading her book but presented the challenges of aging and dementia in a poignant family story that resonated with children. Jemima answered many questions about the purpose of writing the book, her heritage, and the writing process. Her passion for writing and sharing aspects of culture was shown in the immersive experience she created for everyone there. She hosted the audience in the tradition of her Arabic culture, providing atmosphere and food, including home-made sweets and limonata. It will be an event to be remembered for a long time.”
— Sonia McIntosh
Children's and Youth Services Librarian
Merri-bek Libraries.
“Our visit from Jemima Shafei-Ongu was a fantastic experience for our students and I would highly recommend her to other school Librarians. Her storytelling and presentation ability were engaging and clearly captivated our students’ attention. Her background experience as a psychologist also shone through; she was able to weave exploration of emotions seamlessly into her stories while including some age-appropriate self-regulation exercises in her session. Booking her sessions was easy, and she was happy to liaise directly with me in order to tailor her content to our students’ age ranges and literacy levels.”
