Khālah Pīrzan (Qiṣṣahʹhā-yī az Adabīyāt-i Shafāhī-yi Īrān) Persian 2021

Auntie Old Woman is a book retold by Afsaneh Sha‘ban-Nejad, based on stories from Iran’s oral folk literature. The illustrations are by Maneli Manouchehri, and the book has been published by Fatemi Publishing.

An excerpt from the book reads:

“Once upon a time, beneath the blue dome of the sky, there was a small little house. In that house lived Auntie Old Woman.
The house had a courtyard.
The courtyard had a small garden.
The house had one room.
The room had a shelf.

One night, Auntie Old Woman finished her dinner. She opened the window. A cold wind—whooo—blew into the room through the window.
Auntie Old Woman said, ‘Oh! Oh! What a wind! What a cold!’
Then she closed the window, spread out her bedding, pulled the quilt over herself, and went to sleep.
But she had not yet closed her eyes when she heard a sound…”

This book gently recreates a beloved traditional tale with simple, rhythmic language and evocative illustrations, making it especially engaging for children while preserving the charm of Iran’s oral storytelling heritage.