For the second consecutive year, TUTI Books has been shortlisted for the 2021 Bologna Prize “Best Publishers of the Year”.

TUTI Books, based in Tehran, Iran, has been shortlisted for the “Best Publishers Award” by Bologna Children’s Book Fair for another year in a row and will be competing in Asia alongside publishers from China, Japan, and South Korea for the best publisher of the continent.

The nominees for this list are selected by credible institutions and publishers taking part in the Bologna Book Fair. We are happy to see that TUTI’s efforts and activities have gained international recognition. We hope that TUTI Books, as the only selected publisher from the Middle East, would be a suitable nominee from Asia to represent Iran’s rich children and young adults’ literature.

Every year, the winners are announced on the opening ceremony of the Bologna Book Fair and prominent titles of the selected publishers are introduced through the fair’s catalog, newspapers, and social media. Same as the last year, the voting process to select the best publishers will be held online and the results will be announced during the 4-day period of the Book Fair which will be 14-17 June.

The BOP -“Bologna Prize for the Best Children’s Publishers of the Year”- was first established in the 50^th anniversary of the Bologna Book Fair in 2013.  It is an extraordinary occasion to highlight publishers at the forefront of innovation in their activity for the creative nature of the editorial choices they have made during the previous year.

The prize, organized by the Bologna Children’s Book Fair and AIE – Italian Publishers Association in partnership with IPA – International Publishers Association, awards those publishers who have most distinguished themselves for their professional and intellectual skills in each of the six areas of the world: Africa, Central and South America, North America, Asia, Europe, and Oceania.

The Victoria State Government of Australia has selected “What a Brilliant Idea!” (originally published in Persian under the title “!چه فکر خوبی”), written and illustrated by Narjes Mohammadi, to be introduced to children in state schools as a part of the non-English curriculum. This title, among other Persian titles, has been presented to the Victoria State Government by Iwan Bookshop, following the requests of Victoria’s Persian-speaking community.

TUTI Books is proud to have been able to open a window into Iranian literature and language through producing quality books. The translation rights of “What a Brilliant Idea!” have been previously sold in Chinese, Greek, Spanish, and Turkish languages.

We are glad to announce that 3 of TUTI’s illustrators have been selected for the 9th Sharjah Children’s Reading Festival.

As reported by the Iranian Illustrators’ Society, eight Iranian illustrators are among this year’s selectees for the Sharjah Children’s Reading Festival. Negin Ehtesabian for “Cricket, Why Do You Sing?“, Ali Boozari for “Little Pea and the Sneaky Beast“, and Mohammadhosein Matak for “Tippler and the Crow” are representing TUTI Books in the festival.

This year’s festival, which was held from May 9 to 29, included the works of 113 illustrators from around the globe.

We are glad to announce that 3 of TUTI’s beautiful titles will soon be published in the Spanish language. The agreement, which was made a while back, includes the titles “Ace” by Payam Ebrahimi and Reza Dalvand, “The Black Crow Goes on a Trip” by Babak Saberi and Shabnam Chaichian, and “Giraffe Spaghetti and Turtle Salad” by Reza Dalvand.

These titles are following 5 other TUTI titles which were sold to Spain in late 2019 and have already been published and distributed in Spanish-speaking territories.

The White Ravens Catalogue 2020 presents 200 outstanding books in 36 languages from 56 countries, selected and published by the International Youth Library, Munich.

We are delighted to let you know that one of TUTI’s titles has once again made its way into the list. “What a Brilliant Idea!“ – written and illustrated by Narjes Mohammadi – has been selected for this year’s list. This beautiful title is a story about self-esteem, self-image, and self-acceptance. It helps children to understand that no matter how they look like, difference is beautiful and beauty is different.

We encourage you to watch the following short video to learn more about this beautiful title:

“Image of the Book” is an International Illustration and Book Design Competition managed by the Federal Agency for Press and Mass Communications of Russian Federation, in cooperation with The Association Of Book Illustrators and Designers at the Moscow Union of Artists.

TUTI Books is proud to announce that three of its illustrators are among the winners of this competition; Ali Bouzari for the title “Little Pea and the Sneaky Beast“, Haleh Ghorbani for “The World is Mine“, and Salimeh Babakhan for “Little Whale and Little Moon”.

“Little Pea and the Sneaky Beast” is a part of the “Iranian Folktale” series, illustrated by Ali Bouzari and rewritten by Asadollah Shabani. “The World is Mine” and “Little Whale and Little Moon” are also among TUTI’s latest titles.

Today is an exciting day, as we are about to learn about the winners of the Hans Christian Andersen Award and the Bologna Prize for Best Children’s Publishers of the Year!

TUTI Books is proud to be involved in both of these prestigious awards, with our own Farhad Hassanzadeh among the great authors shortlisted for the Hans Christian Andersen Award, and our publishing house shortlisted for the BOP.

Farhad Hassanzadeh’s creative and imaginitive pen has resulted in two of TUTI’s amazing titles, namely An Umbrella with White Butterfliesand The Snow and the Sun.

Our fingers are crossed for all the great authors, illustrators, and publishing houses in Tomorrow’s results!

More than ever, at a time where most of the schools around the world are closed and people are having to limit to spent their time outside, the power of books should be leveraged to combat isolation, reinforce ties between people, expand our horizons, while stimulating our minds and creativity. 

During the month of April and all year round, it is critical to take the time to read on your own or with your children. It is a time to celebrate the importance of reading, foster children’s growth as readers and promote a lifelong love of literature and integration into the world of work.

Through reading and the celebration of World Book and Copyright Day, 23 April, we can open ourselves to others despite distance, and we can travel thanks to imagination. From April 1st to 23rd, UNESCO will share quotes, poems and messages to symbolize the power of books and encourage reading as much as possible. By creating a sense of community through the shared readings and the shared knowledge, readers around the world can connect and mutually help curb loneliness. 

In such circumstances, we invite students, teachers, readers from around the world as well as the book industry and library services to testify and express their love for reading. We encourage you to share this positive message with others through #StayAtHome(link is external) and #WorldBookDay(link is external).

There are also materials for you to use to help engage all communities of readers, individuals and institutions. Whether you want to print and stick them on walls, share them on social media or publish on your website, it helps a lot! Download our communication toolkit here(link is external).

The more people we can reach, the more people may be helped.

Source: UNESCO

TUTI is on the final list of Bologna Children’s Book Fair and will compete with China, Japan, and South Korea to achieve the 2020 prize of the Best Children’s Publishers of the Year from Asia.

This is the first time that an Iranian publisher is placed on the final list of Bologna Best Children’s Publishers of the Year which is a reputable and professional event across the globe. 

Winning the prize from Bologna Book Fair will be an opportunity for publishers to introduce their books with innovative content.

The Bologna Children’s Book Fair introduces itself as the world’s leading professional event dedicated to the children’s publishing industry attracting over 1,400 exhibitors and around 30,000 visitors from around 80 countries.

The Fair is an industry-leading event that has succeeded in bringing together a unique and diverse global audience thanks to over 50 years of experience, bolognachildrensbookfair.com says.

Source: IRNA

It is with great honor that we congratulate Mr. Farhad Hassanzadeh on his entering the shortlist for the 2020 Hans Christian Andersen Award, the world’s most prestigious award for the creators of children’s and youth literature!

Mr. Hassanzadeh is among our favorite authors who has brought us one of TUTI’s most acclaimed picture books, namely “An Umbrella with White Butterflies”, which will soon be published in Chinese, Korean, and Spanish languages as well. “The Snow and The Sun: The Story of Bijan and Manijeh” – a young adult novel – is another book that he has written for TUTI Books.

This is the second time Farhad Hassanzadeh has been shortlisted for the Hans Christian Andersen Award (first time being back in 2018) and we are all crossing our fingers for his further success. He certainly deserves it!