An independent office is to be established with the aim of publishing Volumes 16 to 18 of the Iranian Encyclopedia for Young People, said Noushafarin Ansari, secretary of the Children Book Council of Iran (CBC) at the 52nd anniversary of the council held in Tehran.
In the past 22 years, 15 volumes of the encyclopedia, targeting children between 10-16 years, have been published, she said, hoping for the “completion of this valuable 26-volume collection within the next ten years” with the help of council members and the establishment of the new office, Mehr news agency reported.
Encyclopedia writing is a costly process. Although 95% of the team members are working voluntarily, the publication costs are high. This is the first encyclopedia for children in Persian and includes various images based on Iranian culture and a scientific approach, she added.
CBC Affiliates
Some of the associations such as ‘Pouya Educational-Research Association’, ‘The Institute for Research on the History of Children’s Literature in Iran’, and ‘House of Librarians and the Promotion of Reading’ are affiliated to the CBC.
Houshang Moradi-Kermani, an eminent Iranian writer, best known for children’s and young-adult fiction, is a CBC member. Regarded as one of the world’s top five authors in the International Board on Books for Young People (IBBY), Kermani was a candidate for the Hans Christian Andersen Award in 2014 - considered the most prestigious award in international children’s literature.
One of the Kermani’s books titled ‘The Tale of That Vat’, is translated in 18 languages and can be “a step towards the expansion of Iran’s cultural identity in the world,” Ansari stressed.
Pointing to the selection of Sahar Tarhandeh, an Iranian literature researcher, as a jury member of the IBBY for the Hans Christian Andersen Award for the second time, she said: “This is proof of Iran’s promotion of children’s literature and the expertise of Iranians in literary works.”
The CBC (Iranian national section of the IBBY) was established as a non-profit organization in 1962. Its main focus is on children’s literature. It has more than 700 members who serve on a voluntary basis. All activities are carried out under the supervision of the Executive Committee, elected by the General Assembly every two years. Introducing selected books to children and their families is one of CBC’s activities.
