Our collection of picture books featuring Black and Indigenous Peoples and People of Color (BIPOC) is available to the public.
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13 matching books
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Rumi: Poet of Joy and Love
“Even the greatest poet was once a child. And so it was with Rumi. When he was young he was enchanted by birds and books. He later became a scholar, but it was the loss of his best friend, Shams, that inspired Rumi to his most important realization: Love is in us and everywhere. The Persian mystic and poet Rumi is one of the best known and most widely read poets in the world. The renowned illustrator Rashin Kheiriyeh herself comes from Iran. With this picture book she creates a touching memorial to Rumi’s wisdom and warmth. The strong colors and ornamental details transport us to the Persian Empire in the 13th century. Yet Rumi’s story and his poetry are timeless.” — publisher
The Story of Spring and Norooz
“A new version of Norooz story: The story of a girl named “Bahar” who lives in the sky and spends the entire year sleeping in her comfy bed, except for the last day of winter when she wakes up and ….. An easy-to-read Persian(Farsi) picture book for those children who are learning Persian as a second language.” — publisher
Sugar In Milk
“A timely and timeless picture book about immigration that demonstrates the power of diversity, acceptance, and tolerance from a gifted storyteller. When I first came to this country, I felt so alone. A young immigrant girl joins her aunt and uncle in a new country that is unfamiliar to her. She struggles with loneliness, with a fierce longing for the culture and familiarity of home, until one day, her aunt takes her on a walk. As the duo strolls through their city park, the girl’s aunt begins to tell her an old myth, and a story within the story begins. A long time ago, a group of refugees arrived on a foreign shore. The local king met them, determined to refuse their request for refuge. But there was a language barrier, so the king filled a glass with milk and pointed to it as a way of saying that the land was full and couldn’t accommodate the strangers. Then, the leader of the refugees dissolved sugar in the glass of milk. His message was clear: Like sugar in milk, our presence in your country will sweeten your lives. The king embraced the refugee, welcoming him and his people. The folktale depicted in this book was a part of author Thrity Umrigar’s Zoroastrian upbringing as a Parsi child in India, but resonates for children of all backgrounds, especially those coming to a new homeland.” — publisher
Rumi
“Born in Afghanistan in the thirteenth century, Rumi settled in Turkey and became a great mystical poet. From a holy man, Shamsuddin, Rumi learned to listen for the sacred sound of God within himself. When his creative spirit was awakned, he recited more than 50,000 rhymed couplets. He also wrote about the love that resides in the soul of everyone, regardless of religion or background. He founded the order of the whirling dervishes, who believed their spinning dances put them in touch with God and brought peace and love into the world. To honor the 800th anniversary of his birth, the United Nations declared 2007 The Year of Mawlana Jalaladdin Rumi. Demi’s spectacular art, inspired by the eastern culture of the thirteenth century, was painted with Turkish and Chinese inks and gold overlays. An introductory note by Dr. Laleh Bakhtiar, Ph.D., is included.” — publisher
Brave with beauty
This is the extraordinary story of Queen Goharshad, a 15th-century monarch, who many historians now believe was the one of the most powerful women in world history. Ruling from the Timurid artistic and cultural center of Herat in western Afghanistan, Queen Goharshad ushered in a remarkable period when poetry, music, calligraphy, painting, and the sciences flourished as never before. A poet and an architect, she designed some of the most beautiful structures ever built on earth. –publisher
The green musician
Relates how Barbad became the new musician and singer in the court of Persian King Khosrow. Adapted from a 1,000 year-old story originally found in the "Book of Kings" (Shahnameh), which tells the story of the mystical past of ancient Persia.
Saffron Ice Cream
Rashin is an Iranian immigrant girl living in New York, excited by her first trip to Coney Island, and fascinated by the differences in the beach customs between her native Iran and her new home–but she misses the saffron flavored ice cream that she used to eat.
The Persian Cinderella
A retelling of the traditional Persian tale in which Settareh, neglected and abused by her stepmother and stepsisters, finds her life transformed with the help of a little blue jug.
Navid’s Story
This is the real-life story of Kurdish Iranian refugee, Navid. Told in Navid’s own words, the story describes the fear and uncertainty Navid and his mother feel after they are forced to flee Iran, as well as the long journey they endure to be reunited with Navid’s father.
The Amazing Travels of Ibn Battuta
Ibn Battuta recalls his amazing journey and the fascinating people, cultures, and places he encountered. He traveled extensively, throughout Islamic lands and beyond — from the Middle East to Africa to Europe to Asia nearly 700 years ago.
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