TEHRAN-The 41st edition of the Iranian writer Hushang Moradi Kermani’s children’s book “A Sweet Jam” has recently been published. 

Moein, the publisher of the book, released its first edition in 1998. Since then, "A Sweet Jam" has captivated readers across the globe, with translations in multiple languages and enthusiastic reception in various countries.

An English translation of “A Sweet Jam” by U.S. scholar Caroline Croskery was released by the CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform in the United States in 2015. Iranian director Marzieh Borumand made a screen adaptation of the novel in 2000.

It all starts with a jar of jam. Twelve-year-old Jalal simply wants to eat his morning breakfast including the jam he has purchased with his own money. There’s only one problem: no matter how he tries, he cannot get the jar open – and neither can his mother, the neighbor upstairs, the children at school, the principal, his teachers, the corner grocer, the factory distributor, the police officer or any of the neighbors. 

This story is a humorous lesson on how one seemingly small event impacts each successive event, how small things become blown all out of proportion, and how one should never count one’s chickens before they hatch.

Most of Moradi Kermani’s books, including “Believe It or Not” and “The Water Urn”, have been rendered into several languages around the world.

Hushang Moradi Kermani, 80, is best known for children’s and young adult fiction. His best-known books are “The Tales of Majid,” “The Boot,” and “The Water Urn”. Most of his works have been translated into English, German, French, Spanish, Dutch, Arabic, Armenian, Turkish and several other languages. Moreover, some of his books have been made into popular local movies and television shows.

SAB/