TEHRAN – Seventeen books by Iranian illustrators have been selected for the Biennial of Illustrations Bratislava (BIB), which will be held in the capital of Slovakia from October 15, 2021 to January 9, 2022.

A jury composed of Fashid Mesqali, Sahar Tarhandeh, Alireza Golduzian, Kamal Tabatabai and Ali Buzari has picked the Iranian entries to the exhibition, the Institute for Intellectual Development of Children and Young Adults (IIDCYA) announced on Saturday.    

A highlight of the collection is “You Are an Explorer” (also translated as “We Are Explorers”) by Ghazal Fathollahi.

The book written by Shahrzad Shahrjerdi has also been published by La Maleta, a publisher in the autonomous community of Asturias in northwest Spain.

The book shows fraternity, imagination, collaboration and self-improvement against the pain of war. This book, through the love between two brothers and their imagination, leads us to reflect on the hardships suffered by some people as a result of conflicts in their countries of origin that force them to leave their homes in search of something better.

“Lili, Where Are You?” written and illustrated by Taravat Jalali is another major book of the collection. The book aims to help children cope with loss and loneliness, as well as strengthen their skills of observation and problem-solving.

The book tells the story of Papa, who has made a doll; one that is different from all his previous creations. The doll, however, suddenly goes missing. Papa looks everywhere for her; from the barbershop and the shoemaker’s store to the flower shop and the ice cream shop. There is no trace of the doll. Until…

Mohammad-Hossein Matak’s acclaimed book “Machucheh and Crow” has also been selected. 

In 2020, he was selected as one of the 12 winners of the Illustrators of the Future Contest in the U.S. city of Los Angeles for his illustrations for the book written by Afsaneh Shaban-nejad.

Matak’s other book “Is a Friend better or a Cookie” has also been picked for the BIB.

“Tell the Rhinoceros to Go Away” and “King and the Moon”, both illustrated by Pedram Kazeruni, are also among the books.

Also included are “Birds and the Sky” by Mohammad-Ali Bani-Asadi, “So Far” by Nushin Sadeqian, “Draw a Man” by Mitra Abdollahi, “Am I Sleeping or Awake?” by Samaneh Salavati, “The World Is Mine” by Haleh Qorbani, “The Rabbits of the Spring of the Moon” by Amir Shabanipur, “The Seven Adventures of Rustam” by Atieh Markazi, “Aunt Beetle” and “Mother” by Hoda Haddadi, and “Simorgh” by Mohammad Bar-Rangi.

“Valentin de Toutes les Couleurs” by Reza Dalvand published by the French publisher Des Elephants and “La Piccola Pittrice” by Feresteh Najafi published by the Brazilian publisher Coccole Books are also among the Iranian entries to the BIB.   

Earlier in January, the IIDCYA in collaboration with the Iranian Association of Children’s Book Illustrators and the Children’s Book Council of Iran selected Zahra Amini for the BIB-UNESCO Workshop of Albín Brunovský, which is organized on the sidelines of the biennial for young illustrators from developing countries.

Photo: A combination photo shows the front covers of some books by Iranian illustrators selected for the Biennial of Illustrations Bratislava.

MMS/YAW