
TEHRAN Turkish publisher Nar Cocuk has acquired copyrights to the Persian childrens books Bright Heart of the Scarecrow and The Rabbits Fly.The books will be translated and published based on an agreement with the Pol Literary and Translation Agency, a Tehran-based institution that translates Iranian books and presents Persian-language publications around the world, the agency announced last week.Written by Jamal Akrami, Bright Heart of the Scarecrow tells the story of a scarecrow that wants to travel across the world to see its attractions along with children.The Turkish edition will come out with its original illustrations done by Afsaneh Sanei.Akrami is the author of dozens of childrens books, including The Boy Who Looked out, Little Ilia, The Sole and the Sea, Malik Shamran, The Stranger and the Sea, Zarbal and Children of the Moon, a number of which have been translated into English, Spanish, Korean, Swedish, Turkish and several other languages.The Rabbits Fly is about a rabbit that walks and runs in the jungle and notices what happens in it all around.
However, the rabbits can also fly high above the jungle to help other animals when they are in need.Hamidreza Shahabadi is the author of the book, which aims to teach children about kindness, friendship, carefulness and learning skills.
The book has been illustrated by Mahdieh Qasemi.Shahabadi is the author of A Smiling Banana, which was selected by the International Board on Books for Young People (IBBY) for its 2021 Collection for Young People with Disabilities.His credits also include No One Dares to Do That, Goethe Street Caf, When Moji Was Lost and Vertical Cemetery.He has been nominated for the 2023 Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award (ALMA) by Irans Institute for Intellectual Development of Children and Young Adults (IIDCY-Kanoon).Nar Cocuk, a major Turkish publishing house for childrens books, has previously published a Turkish translation of the Tehran-based French writer and illustrator Claire Joberts collection A Fiction with Quranic Concepts.Safekeeping, truthfulness, donation and several other Quranic concepts have been introduced through stories to children in this collection.The collection includes The Secret of the Centipede, Say So, Grumpy Hippo, Meatball Competition, Peace Soup, Deposited Cake, Whats up? and Red Apple.Over the past few years, a number of Turkish publishers have shown an interest in works by Iranian writers, especially those who are active in childrens literature.Muhenna, a publishing house for young adults in Istanbul, has released a Turkish translation of Iranian writer Mohammad Mirkianis book Our Story Becomes a Fairy Tale under the title of Hikayemiz Masal Oldu.Zengin, another Turkish publisher, released The Rose on the Rug (Halidaki iek) and Migration of Ruzbeh (Ruzbenin G) in 2021.Photo: A combination photo shows the front covers of the Persian editions of the Persian childrens books Bright Heart of the Scarecrow and The Rabbits Fly.MMS/YAW