TEHRAN – The 8th edition of the Flying Turtle Awards, which are presented annually to top children’s writers in Iran, was organized online Friday evening without the jury’s announcement of a winner for the golden prize.

The jury honored only three books with silver prizes, one of which went to “The Strange Hunting Ground” co-written by Samira Arami and Masumeh Sohbati.

The book tells the story of a king who is interested in hunting, and commissions painters to draw him in the hunting ground after every hunt.  

“Vertical Cemetery” by Hamidreza Shahabadi was another winner of a silver prize. 

It is about Reza, a little boy who unexpectedly finds himself in a mysterious house, which has remains of people inside its walls. In the house, there are also some children weaving carpets. One day, one of the children drowns in the pool of the house and the story goes on around this issue.

Another silver prize went to “A Dialogue between the Grand Sorcerer and the Queen of the Colors’ Island” by Jamshid Khanian.

In this book, Rahi heads toward Treasure Island to do an important job, however, he doesn’t know what it is. But he knows well that he will earn a large amount of money and at last will be able to buy the bicycle he wants.     

The Book City Institute and the Children’s Literature Studies Periodical are the organizers of the Flying Turtle Awards.

This year, Shahla Tahmasbi, translator of numerous books by children’s writers from around the world, and illustrator Karim Nasr were also honored for their lifetime achievements.   

Earlier in 2017, French writer Jean-Claude Mourlevat won the golden prize at the Flying Turtle Awards for his “La Rivière à l’envers”.

Two Persian translations of “La Rivière à l’envers” by Navid Atar-Sharqi and Zohreh Nateqi have been published in Iran.

The story is set in a time when there were no telephones in a village. It is about Tomek, a 13-year-old orphan who runs the small grocery store in his village. One evening a young girl enters his shop and asks if he sells sugar made from barley. A sequence of events causes Tomek to begin an incredible journey that will lead him to an uncharted island where an amazing river flows upside down. 

Photo: This combination photo shows the front covers of the winning books at the 8th edition of the Flying Turtle Awards.

MMS/YAW