Munich’s prestigious International Youth Library (Internationale Jugendbibliothek, IJB) has selected five books by Iranian writers for its 35th edition of the White Ravens Catalogue.
The books are “The Mammals of Iran: Bears and Other Carnivores”, “The Battle of Noruz: Mani + Festival-Makers + Festival-Spoilers”, “Zahhak, the Snake Shoulder: A Story with Seven Narrators”, “Barli, the Balloon Seller and the Dwarf Generals” and “The Orange Girl”.
Written by Ali Golshan, “The Mammals of Iran: Bears and Other Carnivores” has been published by the Institute for Intellectual Development of Children and Young Adults – Kanoon.
In “The Battle of Noruz: Mani + Festival-Makers + Festival-Spoilers”, writer Hadis Lazar-Gholami centers on the many beautiful traditions practiced as part of Noruz, the Persian New Year celebration.
The book has been published by Cheshmeh with illustrations by Mahbubeh Yazdani.
Published by Madreseh, “Zahhak, the Snake Shoulder: A Story with Seven Narrators” has been created by Atusa Salehi based on its original version from the Shahnameh, the epic masterpiece of the Persian poet Abolqasem Ferdowsi.
“Barli, the Balloon Seller and the Dwarf Generals,” tells the story of little Barli, a homeless girl who sells balloons under a bridge during the day and sleeps at the same place at night. She finds a way to confront the despotic dwarf generals who rule the country and tries to restore peace and tranquility to her community.
Through literature, writer Seyyed Navid Seyyed Ali-Akbar explains how war, violence, and totalitarianism can make our world unsafe and unpleasant.
Illustrated by Narjes Mohammadi, the book has been released by the Elmi Farhangi Publishing Company.
This book is part of a series published in ten volumes under the title of “Stories of Peace and Friendship”.
“The Orange Girl” has been published by Tuti Books, the winner of the BOP – Bologna Prize for the Best Children’s Publishers of the Year in Asia.
Illustrated by Mahkameh Sha’bani, the story has many similarities to the Grimm’s tale “The Goose Girl”.
The front cover of this year’s White Ravens Catalogue bears an illustration by Montreal-based Iranian artist Nahid Kazemi from her book “Over the Rooftops, Under the Moon” that was selected for the White Ravens 2020.
The White Ravens Catalogue 2021 contains a selection of 200 notable children’s and young adult books from 54 countries published in 38 languages.