“You Are an Explorer” Wins the 2025 Openbook Best Book Award: Children’s Book of the Year!
A heartfelt thank you to the jury for this incredible honor!
Congratulations to Shahrzad Shahrjerdi and Ghazal Fatollahi!
Reviewer’s Recommendation
Xie Hongwen (Final Judge, Children’s Literature Writer and Researcher)
The story begins in a bombed-out home littered with items such as an adventure hat, a globe, and a map. These images reveal what the text doesn’t explain: they represent the older brother’s hobbies and dreams. He and his younger sister imagine their escape as an adventure. In reality, their escape is fraught with danger, a tense atmosphere lurking everywhere.
At first glance, this book seems to depict war in a lighthearted way, with the illustrations mostly in black and white sketches, presenting the desolation and bleakness after the war, with only the clothes and hats of the protagonist siblings having color. However, it is precisely because of the deliberate silence and the simple and uncomplicated colors that we are more focused on watching their “adventure” encounters.
Other colored areas in the image, such as the flames rising from the houses and cars, symbolize the recent bomb attack; while the flames from the wood-burning fire the siblings make in the darkness are a dim red, implying that their small power may be extinguished at any moment.
What qualities does an explorer need? To carry their home on their back like a snail, to run faster than a horse, to know how to sail… The older brother recounts these experiences along the way, encouraging his vulnerable younger sister, soothing her fears and anxieties, and, more importantly, strengthening his own resolve. Like the Batman logo on his clothes, perhaps subconsciously he’s always fantasizing about being a hero; before saving the world, at least he needs to rescue himself and his sister safely!
The flames of war are not far removed from reality. Reading about the brother and sister’s childlike adventure is like watching the Italian film *Life Is Beautiful*, where they confront the hardships of reality with pure hearts. When they finally arrive at the refugee camp and have the opportunity to start a new life, it’s like discovering a treasure at the end of an adventure—something worth cherishing and protecting. The entire book is presented in bright colors until the page about the sister at school, with green paper cranes representing prayers for peace, creating a striking visual effect.
The brother and sister’s mutual support throughout their journey is reminiscent of the Japanese anime *Grave of the Fireflies*. These artworks share similar themes, and their moving stories and humanitarian concerns can be compared and contrasted. *You Are the Explorer*, with its author and illustrator both from Tehran, is a rare Iranian work published in Taiwanese children’s books. The book reflects the current state of affairs in the world, prompting deep reflection and compassion, making it all the more precious and valuable!
Checkout the book’s page on the Awards website here, to discover the author and the illustrator’s speeches.
