1. Shahnameh For Kids – The Story of Zal & Simorgh
2. The Conference Of The Birds
Shahnameh for Kids – The Story of Zal & Simorgh
By Arsia Rozegar
Age 4-8
4.6/5 (68 reviews)
Inspired by Ferdowsi’s Epic Poem,The
Shahnameh, this children’s book tells the classic tale of Zal, who was born with skin and hair white as snow. Because of his unusual appearance, Zal is abandoned as a newborn by his father at the foot of a mountain, but only to be discovered by the mystical and mythical giant bird known as sImorgn. An ancient Persian myth now an illustrated children’s book.
The Conference of the Birds
By Farid ud-Din Attar
Age 4-8
4.6/5 (607 reviews)
Composed in the twelfth century in north-eastern Iran
Attar’s great mystical poem is among the most significant of all works of Persian literature. A marvellous, allegorical rendering of the Islamic doctrine of Sufism – an esoteric system concerned with the search for truth through God – it describes the consequences of the conference of the birds of the world when they meet to begin the search for their ideal king, the Simorgh bird. On hearing that to find him they must undertake an arduous journey, the birds the birds soon express their reservations to their leader, the hoopoe.
3. Saffron Ice Cream
Saffron Ice Cream
by Rashin Kheiriyeh
Age 4-8
4.5/5 (52 reviews)
“With her colorful, exuberant folk-art illustrations and upbeat, friendly tone, Rashin makes a daunting cross-cultural leap seem as easy as a summer breeze.”
– New York Times Book Review Rashin is excited about her first visit to the beach in her family’s new home. On the way there, she remembers what beach trips were like in Iran, the beautiful Caspian Sea, the Persian music, and most of all. the saffron ice cream she shared with her best friend, Azadeh. But there are wonderful things in this new place as well — a subway train, exciting music… and maybe even a new friend!
4. The Girl With A Brave Heart
The Girl with a Brave Heart
By Rita Jahanforuz
Age 4-8
4.8/5 (36 reviews)
Shiraz, a kindhearted young girl growing up in Tehran, has a miserable life at home with her stepmother and stepsister, who treat her like a servant. When the wind blows Shiraz’s ball of wool into the garden next door, she spends the day helping and caring for the old lady who lives there, with miraculous results. Then her stepmother sends her own daughter off on the same mission . .. but will the results be the same?
5. Like A Love Story
like a Love Story
By Abdi Nazemian
Age 6-10
4.6/5 (689 reviews)
“A book for warriors, divas, artists, queens, individuals, activists, trend setters, and anyone searching for the courage to be themselves.”-Mackenzi Lee, New York Times bestselling author of The Gentleman’s Guide to Vice and Virtue
It’s 1989 in New York City, and for three teens, the world is changing. Reza is an Iranian boy who has just moved to the city with his mother to live with his stepfather and stepbrother. He’s terrified that someone will guess the truth he can barely acknowledge about himself. Reza knows he’s gay, but all he knows of gay life are the media’s images of men dying of AIDS.
Judy is an aspiring fashion designer who worships her uncle Stephen, a gay man with AIDS who devotes his time to activism as a member of ACT UP.
6. Here To Stay
Here to Stay
By Sara Farizan
Age 6-10
4.5/5 (114 reviews)
What happens when a kid who’s flown under the radar for most of high school gets pulled off the bench to make the winning basket in a varsity playoff game?
If his name is Bian Majidi, life is suddenly high fives in the hallways and invitations to exclusive parties-along with an anonymous photo sent by a school cyberbully that makes Bian look like a terrorist.
The administration says they’ll find and punish the culprit. Bijan wants to pretend it never happened. He’s not ashamed of his Middle Eastern heritage; he just doesn’t want to be a poster child for Islamophobia. Lots of classmates rally around Bijan. Others make it clear they don’t want him or anybody who looks like him at their school.
7. Americanized: Rebel Without A Green Card
Americanized: Rebel Without a Green Card
by Sara Saedi
Age 6-10
4.4/5 (328 reviews)
The hilarious, poignant, and true story of
• one teen’s experience growing up in
America as an undocumented immigrant from the Middle East, perfect for fans of Mindy Kaling and Lena Dunham’s books.
At 13, bright-eyed straight-A student Sara Saedi uncovered a terrible family secret:
She was breaking the law simply by living in the United States. Only two years old when her parents fled Iran, she didn’t learn of her undocumented status until her older sister wanted to apply for an after-school job but couldn’t because she didn’t have a Social Security number.
Fear of deportation kept Sara up at night, but it didn’t keep her from being a teenager. She desperately wanted a green card, along with clear skin
8. The Little Black Fish
The Little Black Fish
By Samad Behrangi, Farshid Mesghali
Ages: 7 – 9 years
4.8 /5 (76 reviews)
Samad Behrangi
Farshid Mesghal
The Little Black Fish may be small, but he has big questions about the world and is determined to find the answers to them.
Whilst all the other fish in the pond just follow each other around, too scared to do anything different, Little Black Fish swims over the edge of the pool, into the stream towards the river and on to the sea. On his adventure Little Black Fish sees many wondrous and beautiful things, encounters danger lurking around every corner and is finally faced with his ultimate challenge..
9. It Ain’t So Awful, Falafel
It Ain’t So Awful, Falafel
By Firoozeh Dumas
Ages 8 – 12
By the best sellingauthor of Funnv in Fars
FiROOZEH DUMAS
California’s Newport Beach is her family’s latest perch, and she’s determined to shuck her brainy loner persona and start afresh with a new Brady Bunch name- Cindy.
It’s the late 1970s, and fitting in becomes more difficult as Iran makes U.S. headlines with protests, revolution, and finally the taking of American hostages. Even puka shell necklaces, pool parties, and flying fish can’t distract Cindy from the anti-Iran sentiments that creep way too close to home.
A poignant yet lighthearted middle grade debut from the author of the bestselling
Funny in Farsi.
10. Darius the Great Is Not Okay
Darius the Great Is Not Okay
By Adib Khorram
Ages: 12+
4.6/5 (1304 reviews)
Darius Keller speaks better Klingon than Farsi, and he knows more about Hobbit social cues than Persian ones. He’s a Fractional Persian–half, his mom’s side–and his first-ever trip to Iran is about to change his life.
Darius has never really fit in at home, and he’s sure things are going to be the same in Iran. His clinical depression doesn’t exactly help matters, and trying to explain his medication to his grandparents only makes things harder. Then Darius meets
Sohrab, the boy next door, and everything changes. Soon, they’re spending their days together, playing soccer, eating faludeh, and talking for hours on a secret rooftop overlooking the city’s skyline. Sohrab calls him
Darioush-the original Persian version of his name–and Darius has never felt