244
Hasanbaigi, Ibrahim (text)
Mahalati, Parwiz (illus.)
’Gunca bar qali (Knotting a blossom into the pond)
Tihran : Kanun-i Parwaris-i Fikri-i Kudakan wa Naugawanan, 2000 (= 1379 h.š.). –
[32pp]
ISBN 964-432-715-2
Village - Rural life - Knitting carpets - Father - Daughter
This story is set in the Turkmanian grasslands and vividly describes the reality of rural
life in this remote region of Iran. The delicate beauty of a rose her father brought her
arouses Safura's admiration. To please her father, the young girl wants to immortalise the
rose: she decides to knot him a carpet with the image of the rose. A race against time
begins between the waning rose and the determined girl, inspired by her vision. The text
is complemented by many mixed-media illustrations, using line drawings and watercolours.
(8+)
245
Kaimaram, Manucihr (text)
Qizilbaš, Širin (illus.)
Gurba-i sifid-i pašmalu (The white, wooly cat)
Tihran : Šabawiz, 2000 (= 1379 h.š.). – 30pp
ISBN 964-5555-13-2
Cat - Bird - Friendship - Rejection
A young cat yearns for friendship with the birds in the garden. She wants to fly like them
– and with the help of an angel she really does! But still, the birds will not accept
her as their friend. Told in a suitable form for children, this fable-like story
exemplifies two contrary forces: the desire to break down boundaries and the restrictions
resulting from these boundaries. (6+)
246
Mir Kiyani, Muhammad (text)
Saliwatiyan, Muhammad Husain (illus.)
Kuzih-i ‘asal (The pot of honey)
Tihran : Mu‘assas-i Farhangi wa Intišarat-i Mihrab-i, 1999 ( = 1378 h.š.).
– 71pp
(Ruzi bud, ruzi nabud ; 1)
ISBN 964-323-900-0
Iran - Folktale
In this anthology, like in in two following volumes of the series, the author has
assembled a number of stories that can give an impression of the diversity of his
country's orally transmitted folk literature. This anthology is about the everyday life of
the simple folk, their dreams and disappointments, their joys and griefs. The didactic
stories, taken from collections of well-known Iranian narrators, have been adapted for
children. (8+)
247
Muhammadi, Muhammad Hadi
Gawha-i arizu (The dreamed cows)
Tihran : Intišarat-i Hana-i Adabiyat, 1999
(= 1378 h.š.). – 224pp
no ISBN
Village - Emigration to the cities - City life -
Child labour - Poverty - Dream - Imagination
Struck by poverty, 10-year-old Duna's family leaves the village. They are off to the
metropolis of Teheran to find a better future. Reality is harsh in the immigrants'
quarters, surrounding the city like a hungry belt, continually expanding further into the
outskirts. To survive, Duna and the rest of his family have to work in a brick-factory.
Duna's imagination and dreams, that supported his spirits during all hardships, are slowly
sapped by the brutality of their merciless everday life. This compelling novel witnesses
the gradual destruction of a childhood. It is gloomy and heavy; however, the language is
poetic, especially in the boy's dream sequences. (13+)
248
Raziqpanah, Wiyulit
Istgah-i Mir : (bar migardim wa gul-i sitarah micinim) (Space station Mir)
Tihran : Našr-i Ayina-i Atar, 1999 (= 1378 h.š.) 104pp
ISBN 964-5555-13_2
Space-travel - Mir <space station> - Peace - International understanding
Together with other young adults from different nations, Abtin, a young man from Iran is
invited to Moscow to receive training as a visiting cosmonaut. They all travel to the
space station Mir. Looking down upon the earth, they understand the uniqueness of their
planet, but also the threat posed by environmental pollution. They also realise that they
can no longer make out any national boundaries – the world is one and undivided from
up here. This experience arouses the desire for peace and international understanding in
these young people. The author combines the message of her story with a well-researched
portrayal of life on board of the space station Mir. (10+) G (Unesco Prize for Children's
Literature in the Service of Tolerance; 2001) <>