Amu’s Violets
$19.95
Illustrated by Nooshin Safakhoo
Translated from the Persian by Sara Khalili
In the land of Winter, queenly Naneh Sarma coats the mountains and valleys in ice and snow and when she is tired she rests in her spiky snow castle. But with no one to talk to, Naneh Sarma gets lonely. In this gentle story based on a household Iranian folktale, Naneh Sarma journeys to the far off land of Spring to seek Amu Nowruz, Spring’s herald, who sows the meadows with the seeds and flowers that fill his enormous knapsack. At the border between Winter and Spring, Naneh Sarma waits patiently for Amu Nowruz but by the time he arrives, she has fallen fast asleep. Gently, in her outstretched hands, Amu Nowruz plants violets.
In the land of Winter, wide expanses of white snow and craggy mountains rise against backdrops of pale pink, blue, and gray while in the land of Spring, a profusion of green leaves and intricate flowers climb across the pages. Illustrated with Nooshin Safakhoo’s precisely inked lines and enchanting colors, this tale of Nowruz, the Persian New Year, rejoices in each pale wintersweet flower, icy gust of snow, and fresh tulip blossom alike.
Coming on October 15, 2024
Praise
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I was in love with Nooshin Safakhoo’s drawings from the first time I saw them. Every line she draws is hers and no one else’s.
— Marit Törnqvist -
Repeated poetic refrains and imaginative illustrations combine to create a compelling tale from the rich storytelling tradition of Iran.
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When you pick up this book, you are holding something precious in your hands—a velvety, folkloric tale of seven horses and the young disabled girl who dreams of them from her bedroom. Of the seven sweet, beautiful horses, one is without a color, a home, a dream. But the other six horses share with the seventh, and everything is lovely, and the little girl is happy. Nooshin Safakhoo's breathtaking illustrations left me sighing in awe and contentment. A dream of a book!
— Mary Wahlmeier Bracciano, The Raven Book Store (praise for In the Meadow of Fantasies)