TEHRAN – A Persian translation of Canadian children’s writer Kenneth Oppel’s story “Half Brother” has come to Iranian bookstores.

Translated into Persian by Simin Zargaran, the book has been published by Cheshmeh Publications.

“Half Brother” is about the way families are made, the way humanity is judged, the way easy choices become hard ones, and how you can’t always do right by the people and animals you love.

In the story, Ben Tomlin was an only child for thirteen years. But all that changes when his mother brings home Zan — an eight-day-old chimpanzee. Ben’s father, a renowned behavioral scientist, has uprooted the family to pursue his latest research project: a high-profile experiment to determine whether chimpanzees can acquire advanced language skills. 

Ben’s parents tell him to treat Zan like a little brother. Ben reluctantly agrees. At least now he’s not the only one his father is going to scrutinize.

It isn’t long before Ben is Zan’s favorite, and Ben starts to see Zan as more than just an experiment. His father disagrees. 

Soon Ben is forced to make a critical choice between what he is told to believe and what he knows to be true — between obeying his father or protecting his brother from an unimaginable fate.

Photo: This combination photo shows Canadian children’s writer Kenneth Oppel and his book “Half Brother”.  

MMS/YAW