“Champ”, The English edition of “Ace” by Payam Ebrahimi, illustrated by Reza Dalvand, has been selected for the prestigious Books for Keeps Children’s Books of the Year 2024 list. Books for Keeps, a respected British publication dedicated to reviewing and recommending children’s books since 1980, annually publishes a list of selected books from top publishers.
“Champ” shines on this list, alongside its previous feature in The Bookseller, one of Britain’s most reputable book industry magazines with a history dating back to 1858. Despite the entire family being sports champions, Abtin is entirely different, and now his story has become a global phenomenon, and he continues to shine with pride.
Capturing the essence of individuality and self-determination, ‘Champ’ is described by Publisher Patricia Aldana as follows: ‘In many countries today, people are penalized for who they are, what they do, or say. Champ comes from two Iranian creators about a child, born into a family of athletic champions, who is completely unlike the rest of his family. He loves making art, reading, dreaming, and thinking. His family strongly disapproves. When he thinks of a way to make them like and accept him, he fails spectacularly. But we know that he will persist. A beautiful tribute to self-determination from a country with great children’s book creators whose work we rarely see.’
