The Little Black Fish

Like all the best picture books, it is both simple and profound. “Perhaps,” says the little black fish, “there is more to life, and perhaps the world is more than our stream!” It’s a message for us all. This is a book that has been read and loved for generations in Iran, and at last the little black fish has swum to our shores. – David Almond

Gorgeously illustrated in this Tiny Owl edition by Farshid Mesghali, the first ever Asian winner of the Hans Christian Andersen Award, The Little Black Fish has been called Iran’s most famous children’s book of all time. As with most animal stories it can certainly be read as an allegory and its political reading ensured that it was banned in pre-revolution Iran. You can see why the story of the little fish who defies convention (and his Mother!) swims away from the small section of the stream which confines their lives on a quest to see ‘if the stream goes on and on, or whether it comes to an end.’ Throughout his journey he meets other creatures who also believe that there is nowhere else beyond their own limited environment and that their way of life and their view of the world is the only way to be. – School Library Association

The story has been enriched with beautiful and wonderful illustrations by Farshid Mesghali, who won the Hans Christian Andersen award for illustration in 1974. Considering the violence expressed against different ethnic groups within societies in the wider world, the message of this book is important for the peaceful coexistence of today’s diverse world as it not only encourages autonomy and chasing dreams, but also respect and tolerance for others. – IBBYLink