He was chosen by the Children’s Book Council of Iran (IBBY Iran) for his contributions to the development and enrichment of children’s and young adult literature in Iran over the past three decades.
What makes Ahmad Akbarpour’s stories so special is his use of fresh, creative storytelling techniques that engages his readers. He deliberately bends the rules of traditional storytelling, giving ordinary characters a voice that stands out.
He focuses on universal themes like peace, friendship, acceptance, and more, without falling into the trap of predictable, cliché plots. His works span a wide range of genres, from light-hearted humor and fantasy to grounded, realistic stories, as well as historical and mythical tales. He also conducts storytelling workshops for both kids and adults.
Ahmad Akbarpour’s books have been translated into many languages, reaching readers not only in Iran but across the world. His stories are loaded with wonder and magic, and never fail to captivate readers of all ages.
TUTI Books has proudly published the following titles written by him:
Originally written in Farsi by Payam Ebrahimi and illustrated by Ghazaleh Bigdelou, this picture book is a piece of black humor targeting educational systems insisting on excellence, uniformity, and mastery.
Congratulations to Payam Ebrahimi and Ghazaleh Bigdelou!
TUTI’s titles previously selected by the White Ravens list:
The international jury of the Biennial of Illustration Bratislava has selected “The Roc Girl“, illustrated by Noushin Sadeghian, as the Grand Prix winner!
In the 30th edition of this biennial, “The Roc Girl“, rewritten by Ahmad Akbarpour and illustrated by Nooshin Sadeghian, won the Grand Prix Award.
This title, originally published in Farsi by TUTI Books, in collaboration with the Museum of Iranian Dolls & Culture, was nominated by the Institute for the Intellectual Development of Children and Young Adults as Iran’s representative in this global competition.
“The Roc Girl” has received many prestigious honors and awards for its illustrations so far:
❇️ Selected for the White Ravens Catalog,
❇️ Selected for the Nami Island Concours,
❇️ Winner of Sharjah Book Illustration Exhibition,
❇️ Winner of the Chen Bochui Award,
❇️ Winner of the Illustrators Exhibition of Bologna,
❇️ Winner of the Grand Jury Prize of 2022 BIBF Ananas Illustration Exhibition
Congratulations to Noushin Sadeghian and TUTI Books team!
We were honored to be invited to a recent roundtable discussion focused on the continuity of classic children’s literature. The event was moderated by Mikhail Viesel, the renowned translator, critic, and author, who is also the editor-in-chief.
The discussion held on 2024-12-06, featured an esteemed panel of speakers, including:
Natalia Kostyushina: Head of the Center for Bibliography of Children’s Literature at the Russian State Children’s Library.
Anastasia Orlova: Children’s poet, writer, translator, and publisher.
Sofia Remez: Children’s writer.
Daniela Pareschi: Children’s writer and illustrator.
Ali Asgari: Representative from Houpa Publishing House.
Shiva Azimi: Representative from TUTI Books Publishing House.
Key Highlights from the TUTI Books’ Speech on Why Classic Children’s Literature Still Matters:
Connection to Heritage: Classic literature serves as a bridge to the past, helping children understand historical struggles and triumphs, grounding them in their cultural heritage.
Broadening Perspectives: These stories expose young readers to diverse cultures, fostering empathy and understanding—essential qualities in our interconnected world.
Critical Thinking: Engaging with complex themes in classic literature encourages children to think critically and engage in meaningful conversations about love, justice, and identity.
Language Skills: Reading well-crafted prose enhances vocabulary and communication skills, reminding us of the beauty of language in an age of brevity.
Imagination and Creativity: Classic tales ignite imagination, transporting readers to fantastical worlds and inspiring innovative thinking—crucial in today’s rapidly changing environment.
Richness of Iranian Literature: The richness of Iranian literature has led to numerous excellent rewritings and spin-offs, presenting these masterpieces to younger audiences in engaging ways. TUTI has always dedicated a part of its portfolio to this endeavor, featuring works from talented authors like Ahmad Akbarpour, Mohammadreza Shams, and Farhad Hasanzadeh.
Conclusion In conclusion, immersing children in classic literature equips them with valuable tools for personal growth and a deeper appreciation of the human experience. By sharing these enduring narratives, we can ensure that their profound insights continue to resonate for generations to come.
Beatriz Montero addresses the question “How do we live with stories?” in her book “The Secrets of Storytelling” by suggesting that we do so through reminiscing on memories rather than merely retaining them in our minds. Some stories possess a subject matter that easily evokes our personal experiences. Mehdi Rajabi’s Junk Food Jane, illustrated by Maryam Tahmasebi, serves as an example.
It is hard to find a child who doesn’t have memories of indulging in food and overeating, and harder to find one who has not been scolded by adults for this tendency and indulgence. The story of Junk Food Jane is a recollection for everyone, reminding adults of their childhood memories as well. Overindulgence in junk food is common between children and adults. It is an ongoing memory for the former and for the latter, it serves as a reminder of a past they have outgrown.
Throughout the history of eating junk food, the names and varieties have constantly evolved. In this story, Jane’s junk food names are genuinely distinctive. The snacks featured are inventive combinations, born from creative wordplay, and cannot be found in any store. An example is “Dommies,” a fusion of donuts and gummies, or “Roll-upsicles,” a blend of fruit roll-ups and popsicles. The story is filled with numerous other snack combinations, which you can discover as you read on.
According to the author, the story of Junk Food Jane is perfect for children who are fed up with constant commands from adults, “Eat this!” and “Don’t eat that!”. But in this story, two voices or in Wittgenstein terms, two world-pictures exist: One world-picture of childhood and another of adulthood. The childhood world and its inclination towards eating junk food, along with the world of adulthood and its warnings and restrictions.
Throughout the story, both world-pictures undergo transformations in a way that the reader begins the story with one world-picture but concludes with another. Much of the narrative explores this contradiction, and towards the end, the two perspectives meet without the child yielding to adult demands. Instead, Jane and the reader experience the grown-ups’ warnings by excessive junk food consumption and facing the potential consequences wholeheartedly not through bitterness but through play which is the nature of a child’s life and through imagination which is a child’s thinking tool.
While an adult’s authoritative voice is present in the story, it remains neutral—as though acknowledging the futility of advice and warnings. Therefore, the story can be an enlightening read for adults who tend to be controlling. However, Nietzsche’s quote implies that some adults with lots of junk food memories might still resist the lesson: “I have done that,’ says my memory. ‘I cannot have done that’- says my pride and remains unshakable. Finally, memory yields.”
Yashar Hodaei, writer and researcher of children’s literature
TUTI Books is honored to announce that “You Are an Explorer” has been shortlisted for the top 50 titles in “The Cheltenham Illustration Awards” while more than 1000 books had entered “The Story of a Better Tomorrow” competition.
The moving story of Shahrzad Shahrjerdi and the compelling illustrations of Ghazal Fathollahi perfectly fit together to take children on a journey in order to familiarize them with the great issues of war, refugees, and asylum seekers.
“You Are an Explorer” is the story of a crying girl whose brother suddenly tells her to pack their things and leave their house. Under the fire of guns and tanks, her brother tells her that they are going on a trip. He describes their journey as an adventure and asks her little sister to remain brave and strong since that’s how explorers are supposed to be.
On the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the Bologna Children’s Book Fair, the BOP – Bologna Prize for the Best Children’s Publishers of the Year, organized by the Bologna Children’s Book Fair and AIE – Italian Publishers Association in partnership with IPA – International Publishers Association, awarded 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. At the same time, the prize is designed to foster a mutual exchange of knowledge and ideas among different countries, areas, and cultural identities across the world. The 202I BOP winners include: Africa: Mkuki na Nyota, Tanzania; Asia: TUTI Books, Iran; Central/South America: Tragaluz Editores, Colombia; Europe: La Joie de Lire, Switzerland; North America: Levine Querido, USA; and Oceania: Oratia Media, New Zealand.
About TUTI Books: TUTI is the Persian word for “Parrot”; a bird that is rooted deeply in Iranian literature and is known for uttering fascinating stories. Run by its director, Sahar Tarhandeh, TUTI Books (which is the children and YA books division at Fatemi Publishing Co.) is based in Tehran, Iran and is among a handful of publishes in Iran who are active in this field. and is solely dedicated to publishing high-quality content for children and young adults across the world. TUTI has won several prestigious awards for its titles and has been able to make a great connection with its readers.
TUTI’s content and quality: TUTI’s endeavours in this regard are backed by Iran’s rich history of culture and literature, which has always had a tremendous amount to offer. TUTI’s mission extends to introducing world literature to Iranian children and young adults, reflected in their actions of searching for and acquiring the rights to titles from all over the world, further tightening cultural ties between nations. Among Iranian publishers, when publishing translated titles, TUTI is among the handful of houses that – in the absence of copyright laws is committed to publishing books by respecting the rights of international publishers. They have acquired several titles from credible international publishers and are also working on creating several original titles, which will be published within the next few months or next year. The first and main criteria when publishing a book by TUTI is the artistic quality of the illustrations and a well-written story. The artistic quality of the illustrations, well-written text, and preferably employing universal themes, to which children from any part of the world can connect. Also, TUTI Books always tries to include subjects like disability, preserving nature in its editorial choices.
Impact of the pandemic: When it comes to the impact of the pandemic, just like every other country, remote working during the early months of the pandemic made it very difficult to coordinate and move daily tasks forward. The bookstores, schools, and libraries were closed, and so the publishing and distribution of books was hugely challenging, saved only by the use of digital. As the Covid situation improves, they are trying to publish more books in a timely manner.
About the Bologna Children’s Book fair and the prize: The Bologna Book Fair is by far the biggest and best platform that makes it possible for children’s and young adults’ publishers to gather around and provide each other with brilliant books. TUTI Books has always made sure to participate in the fair and present its titles, along with looking for quality titles to bring back and publish within Iran. Sahar Tarhandeh, notes, “This year, we were honored to win the BOP Best Publisher of the Year Award in Asia. We are glad that TUTI’s efforts in creating high-quality content has been recognized in this scale and it pushes us further to keep making greater books. Considering the difficulties we deal with in Iran, whether it be the absence of international copyright laws, financial sanctions, or the unstable economy and currency value, we are glad that TUTI’s endeavors are being acknowledged through various awards and recognitions. The BOP award is the latest and probably the most important one. Being recognized in the Bologna Book Fair indicates that we are in the right path and gives TUTI Books incentive to continue creating high-quality titles for children and young adults.”
TUTI Books is the Winner of BOP Bologna Prize Best Children’s Publisher of the Year 2021 (Asia)
We are very honored to be among the winners of this year’s best children’s publishers in the Bologna Books Fair! After 5 years of activity, TUTI Books is determined more than ever to keep creating and publishing high-quality content for Children and YA. We would like to give our warmest regards to all the writers and illustrators whose works make the backbone of TUTI’s titles, and the Bologna Book Fair for arranging this event.
TUTI Books would like to congratulate all the other nominated, shortlisted, and winning publishers in this year’s BOP. We hope that hand in hand, we are able to provide great books to the children of the world!
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 50th 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.
