Founded by wife and husband duo Delaram Ghanimifard and Karim Arghandehpour in 2015, Tiny Owl publishing is one of the most exciting players in the world of children’s books today. Their creed is simple—bring the beauty of Persian culture and literature to the rest of the world. The elegance of this core tenet comes about in the details of the publishing process—whenever possible Iranian authors and illustrators in order to fully articulate the marriage between words and pictures from a Persian perspective. The result is the publishing of some of the most gorgeous books on the market today. So, without further ado, let’s take a look at some current titles from this excellent company.

Spotlighted Titles:

The Parrot and the Merchant (A Tale by Rumi), written and illustrated by Marjan Vafaeian, translated by Azita Rassi

Rumi is a powerfully influential author and poet. The 13^th century Sufi mystic is one of the most well-known individuals of Persian history, and Vafaeian’s work that adapts his story does an excellent job at imparting a complex truth in an easy to understand manner. Language is simple and direct and the qualities of the fable shine through. It is difficult to teach children how to love things by letting them go, but the wise message of this story can go a long way in helping to impart that teaching.

There’s Room Enough for Everyone, written and illustrated by Anahita Teymorian

Coming out in the US in October 2019, this insightful work is spearheaded by a relentless sense of goodwill and kindness. Anahita Teymorian’s story (inspired by a moment from her own childhood) sees a young girl growing up and getting bigger, but still managing to find enough space for herself. Her heartfelt message is one of acceptance and generosity, and posits that with kindness and love there’s enough room for everyone. A beautiful, easily understood message and unique art that seems to borrow a sense of distortion that would emerge from a child’s perspective means that this is an excellent work for any collection.

Along with these amazing books check out some others on the Tiny Owl website, including Little Black Fish (one of my all-time favorite Children’s books, which we previously covered under banned international titles) and A Bottle of Happiness, written by the acclaimed author Pippa Goodhart.