The Spring Solstice New Year Festival that...
turned into Saving the Goldfish!
An English/Persian Bilingual Nowruz Story from Iran & Afghanistan
First Title in our Afghanistan and Iran Diverse Children's Book Series (TBA)
A limited edition of the Persian (Farsi/Dari) version of this semi-autobiographical picture book was launched to critical acclaim in March 2019 at Bukhara Mag in Tehran, Iran.
The non-governmental Bukhara Mag is one of the most respected literary institutions in the Persianate world.
What started out as one of Dr. Bashi's colorful visual infographics in English titled "Nowruz is Science" led Iranian-born children's author and academic Golbarg Bashi to team up with the prolific Canadian illustrator Annie Wilkinson to create the First Title in our Afghanistan and Iran Diverse Children's Book Series (TBA).
In this forthcoming semi-autobiographical picture book, Bashi shares one of her own many childhood adventures as an avid albeit mischievous cyclist on "Pine Street" in southern Iran--set as preparations for the 13-day long "Nowruz" (New Year) Holiday is about to commence and on a New Year's Eve that's not in December but in March! A fully illustrated body-positive children's story picture book about this transnational holiday and which centers around animal rights, transnational anti-racist and climate solidarity, Persian-language bilingualism, and like Dr. Bashi previous titles focuses also on girls' and children's empowerment and in righting either misrepresented or condescending representations of in this case Iran and Afghanistan in mainstream mass-media.
A suspenseful and humorous story that introduces young readers, elementary and middle school classrooms and teachers, and families around the world to a New Year Holiday that is globally marked in the Northern Hemisphere of our planet as the moment of Vernal Equinox, first day of Spring (Spring Solstice).
Nowruz also spelled as Nawruz in the Latin script is an ancient New Year Festival shared across Iran, Afghanistan and Tajikistan, as well as the Caucasus, Central Asia, parts of the Indian Subcontinent, and Kurdish speaking regions of Turkey and the Arab world.
The story book has an accompanying note to families who celebrate or who are interested in celebrating Nowruz as well as a one-page scientific guide to the marine biology, the environmental impact of gold fish world-wide and responsible and informed animal adoption for life.
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Easy Readers Category in English
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Elementary Grade Two for native Persian-speaking (Farsi/Dari) school children in Iran and Afghanistan.
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Suggested Read for School Projects (Culture, New Year Holidays, Heritage, Spring Solstice, Iran, Afghanistan, Marine Biology of Aquatic Fish, Climate Change, Climate Action, Girls Empowerment).
Read further below on why we think it's important that an English edition of our book is published. Let us know if you'd like to own or gift a copy. Don't miss seeing some of the photos related to this project here in New York and from the launch of the Persian language (Farsi/Dari) edition of book across Iran in 2019!
Afghanistan and Iran on Children's Map
For decades, in the U.S. children's book publishing industry, stories about girls and women from Iran and Afghanistan has been embued in Orientalist or condescending narratives that has robbed the children as well as the general public from stories and voices of girl heroines in their grassroots environment. Reinforcing racial and gendered stereotypes, advancing geo-political agendas and ignoring poverty, climate inaction and racial and gendered disparities right here in the US.
We can make it right! We've done it before through our own small contributions in books such as the universally loved P is for Palestine (2017).
Perhaps, the words of Dr. Yousef Munayyer, the Executive Director for USCPR (link) can convey why we do what we do as a small independent publisher, as fellow marginalized, underrepresented, former child refugees from the Middle East:
"As a Palestinian living in the United States, I pay close attention to how American media and popular culture talk about our people and homeland. There is no escaping the pervasive, constant pro-Israel bias and harmful stereotyping of Arabs and Muslims. The racist portrayal of us as violent, angry, irrational, uncivilized, and incapable of living in peace with their neighbors is far too common. As an adult, I am able to see these narratives for what they are, and guard and work against them. But I am constantly concerned about how these negative stereotypes are impacting our kids, and how they might shape their thinking about their identity and our homeland. [Golbarg Bashi's] P is for Palestine is exactly the kind of positive reinforcement needed by children whose identity is constantly under attack. Sadly, that is also why the book has come under fire from from Zionist critics seeking to take it off book shelves and cancel public book readings." (link)
Click here to read reviews about our critically-acclaimed P is for Palestine.
