TEHRAN – The International Board on Books for Young People (IBBY) has selected two more books by Iranian writers for its 2021 Collection for Young People with Disabilities, the Children’s Book Council of Iran has announced.

The books are “There Is Something Here” by Samaneh Naderi and “Seven Horses, Seven Colors” by Mohammad-Hadi Mohammadi.

“There Is Something Here” is based on “The Elephant in the Dark” from the Masnavi-ye Manavi by the Persian poet and mystic Molana Jalal ad-Din Rumi.

“Seven Horses, Seven Colors” illustrated by Nushin Safakhu is a fantasy about a little girl who is not able to walk. In her imagination, she begins running in a field with a number of colorful horses, each of which has its own place, color, characteristics and imagination except for one of them. The horses decide to share all they possess with the disadvantaged horse so that this horse can share these characteristics with the little girl. She then calls upon all of them to do the story of “Seven Nights, Seven Moons”, in which the horses become eternal.  

Earlier in August, the Children’s Book Council of Iran announced that the International Board on Books for Young People (IBBY) has selected the Persian story “A Smiling Banana” for its 2021 Collection for Young People with Disabilities.

The book has been written by Hamidreza Shahabadi based on a plot by Hassan Musavi, who is also the illustrator of the book.

The story is about a happy banana that changes the life of a gorilla and shows him another way of life. Others badger the gorilla because of his affection towards a banana, and they are forced to leave that part of the jungle in search of peace and quiet. They are united with another gorilla who has a smiling apple friend. The main message of the book is what has caused struggle and frustration for many: change, and the acceptance of change is necessary and most likely, fruitful, in every aspect of the word!

Every two years experts working with the IBBY Collection for Young People with Disabilities select outstanding titles for and about children and young adults with disabilities from around the world. The IBBY headquarters is located in Basel, Switzerland. 

Many young people with disabilities cannot read or enjoy a conventional book, or they cannot find a suitable book among the many publications available, IBBY has said.

Therefore they need specially produced books or selected regular books of literary and artistic quality that meet their special needs regarding design, language, plot structure and pictures.

The IBBY collection located at the Toronto Public Library features a large international selection of books for and about young people with disabilities.

The books are chosen by the IBBY National Sections, as well as by independent experts and publishers.

Naderi’s “Plants” was also selected for the IBBY Collection for Young People with Disabilities in 2019.

Eight different plants and their edible fruits are highlighted in this handmade book that explores two questions: what are the different parts of a plant, and how do plants grow?

Photo: Front cover of Iranian writer “Seven Horses, Seven Colors” by Mohammad-Hadi Mohammadi. 

MMS/YAW