Flying Turtle’s List is a list of selected book for children and young adults which after evaluations are suggested every season to parents, trainers, schools and book sellers together with an issue of the quarterly Research Journal of Children and Young Adults Literature. A group of experts, critics and writers of children and young adults’ literature do the evaluation of the books published in the field of literature, science and education, religion, humanities, art and hobbies, for children under 5 in every season and decide which ones deserve suggested as such.
Every year, the books which have made their way to the suggestion list and of high scores get nominated for Flying Turtle’s gold and silver awards; and after the judgment, at the end of the year, the selected ones receive their medals in a ceremony.
Research Journal of Children and Young Adults Literature
Research Journal of Children and Young Adults Literature is a professional quarterly in children and young adults’ literature in Iran by a non-governmental and private publisher. It is distributed among more than 800 libraries of Institute for the Intellectual Development of Children and Young Adults, and also over 500 public libraries across the country, and is also available for a big circle of other librarians, teachers, trainers, students, and experts.
In addition to articles, discussions, forums, and criticisms, it releases the Flying Turtle’s enclosure too. In this enclosure, there is a critical report on the condition of children and young adults’ books publication during the related season; principles and criteria in evaluations; the board of judges; and a review of the books approved for the list.
Background
In mid-2000s, upon Seidabadi’s suggestion, a group of critics and writers for children and young adults’ literature created a literary circle in which the relation between children and young adults’ literature and the important issues of the society were discussed. One of the issues talked about in those meetings was the low rate of reading in Iran.
There in those meetings, with Seidabadi’s suggestion, running a list of selected and qualified books for promoting books and reading was discussed. In 2011, when he became the chief editor of Research Journal of Children and Young Adults Literature, he materialized that idea and, aided by his colleagues, invited a group of critics, writers, experts and journalists of different generations to form Flying Turtle’s board of judges. Thus, there are both writers and translators and critics, librarians, teachers and journalists among its judges, as the variety of their generations is also considered. Since then, every other week, Flying Turtle’s evaluation meetings have been running regularly. Every season, the list of elected books is released and their introduction is undertaken in a big bookstore of the country to celebrate the signing ceremony. So far, twenty-five rounds of Flying Turtle’s List have been released.
Flying Turtle’s Book Signing Ceremony
The seasonal book signing ceremony and introducing the list are done every season with the presence of writers, illustrators and translators to help promoting books and reading.
Over twenty round of this ceremony are held in the Central Book City so far.
The Central Book City is one of the biggest bookstores in Tehran which has been used for celebrations as it is a place where the readers and creators can meet each other, acknowledge cultural and entertaining events, and by shopping books, help the country’s economy.
In these celebrations, besides releasing Flying Turtle’s List, the writers, translators and illustrators whose books are elected meet their readers in a friendly atmosphere and engage signing their works for them.
There are usually over fifty writers and translators in Flying Turtle’s Signing Ceremony who sign their books for their readers and talk to them. Families have welcomed the ceremony as well.
Releasing Flying Turtle’s List
The list of elected books is released as an enclosure with Research Journal of Children and Young Adults Literature; but the capacity of websites, mass media, and especially social networks have been used too in order to make it more available for families, trainers, librarians, teachers, booksellers.
Creating a Facebook page, a Telegram channel, a Twitter account, an Instagram page and a Viber group in the name of good books for children and introducing the elected books are among Flying Turtle’s board of judges’ activities, which has been appreciated, and different people have joined them and follow the posts.
Furthermore, Flying Turtle’s promoting activities incudes: creating various occasional campaigns and introducing related books for those events; proposing the campaign “Let’s Books Be Our Children’s New Year Presents”; providing topical packages; establish Flying Turtle’s club for its audience; undertaking training courses, etc.
Evaluation Principles and Criteria and Flying Turtle’s Awards
- Reaching a personal style and ability in creating a new world and a unique atmosphere.
- Homogeneity and equilibrium between the elemental parts of books, including content, language, the performative aspects of text, graphics, preparation, used materials, and print.
- Considering language’s capacities, innovation in Persian language, and helping its dynamics and development.
- Relation to literary backgrounds, the possibility of going beyond literary traditions, and opening new horizons.
- Innovation in supplying new literary forms and new suggestions in children’s literature in Iran and the world.
- Attention to correctness, objectivity and freshness of subjects in informative books (such as religious, humanities, scientific and educational ones) besides attention to innovations in writing methods, graphics, kind of materials, and print.
- Respecting Iranians’ values and avoiding issues in which national or ethnic values are derided.
- Considering Iranian children’s living within a certain geographical framework while they are members of the international community.
- Concerns for critical thoughts and temperaments, and highlighting a questioning mind.
- Respecting children’s individual differences, and resisting their homogenization, and caring for their sense of freedom.
- Noticing complexities of children’s real world, today’s children’s needs and wishes, and avoiding simplification and oversimplification, or imposition of adult world on them.
- Respecting all human, public and international values such as peace, security, tolerance, dialogue; respecting human beings and sympathizing with them; respecting all other creatures; disagreeing any discrimination; observing all humans, esp. children’s rights, and also children with special needs; and respecting the environment.In the annual celebration of Flying Turtle, besides giving the gold and silver medals to the best books of the year, significant figures of Iranian children and young adults’ literature are also acknowledged. Besides, an old and good book which is ignored through time but its values are unraveled by time is commemorated.So far writers like David Almond, Brian Selznick, Hee Na Baek, Jean-Claude Mourlevat, Annette Langen and Siobhan Dowd Trust have received Flying Turtle’s awards and have sent their massages.The Result of Flying Turtle’s ListFlying Turtle’s List is a guide for parents, teachers, trainers, librarians, booksellers and others in choosing good books with quality and devoid of clichés of discrimination and violence for children and adolescents.The reviews in this list help booksellers and librarians handle their clients and their needs more successfully. With the exception for the list and award of Flying Turtle, almost none of the book lists prepared now and then by some governmental or non-governmental organizations in Iran or the event of a literary award for children and young adults in Iran are reflected in the mass media. It can be said that only the list and award of Flying Turtle immediately spread after they are announced in the official media or social networks.MessagesLet me start my speech this way: I am really honored to have won the first Flying Turtle’s gold award.After winning the Caldecott Medal, your Flying Turtle has been the only award which has, for some reason, made me so happy.I wish I could receive your prize personally and see your Iran through the window of my own eyes. I promise that one day I will come to Iran.London Hee Na Baek’s message on receiving Flying Turtle’s Silver Award in its 2nd year (2013):I am so happy and honored to hear that the book Cloud Bread has won Flying Turtle Award.I hope you will accept my apology for not being among you.When the result of this process is published in form of a book, the reader reads it in their privacy too. Or the adults can read it in a quiet and uncrowded place to children.But Iran!…That is incredible!I cannot say I am excited and stimulated all the time I am working. Because this is an individual and difficult process, both mentally and physically.I thank you very much! I hope to see you again with a picture book for children. I’m totally delighted to have won The Flying Turtle award. It’s a real honor and a real thrill and it was a real surprise when it came through an e-mail. So thank you so much and so thanks to everybody involved in it, Thanks to Book city and The Research Quarterly of Children and Youth’s Literature. What a treat.The story itself Slug’s Dad is set in the town where I grow up and it was exactly like that. Exactly as it was in story. And I was a boy just like the boys in the story,So that’s the beginning of my story of course goes on and the fairies things happening but the all happened in a particular place in the north east of England where I was a boy and It’s now being read in Tehran and in Iran Along far from here so it’s a real thrill and a real honor and a real privilege. Thank you so much and I hope see you all sometime soon. Ok Bye Bye!
- And a lot of the time I’m writing I drew on my own childhood. I drew on the area where I live. I write in my own language which is a particular form of English and It is a real thrill to know that my story which is set in a small town in the north of England is now being read in Iran and in Tehran and it shows the power of stories to reach out across frontiers and across languages and did draw us together, from different countries, from different nationalities, I thought might read a little bit of it to you so you can hear my accent reading the story Slug’s Sad. So it is beginning of it.
- I’m sending this from the north of England. I’m living in the north of England about 400 kilometers north of London, toward Scotland. Scotland is about 60 kilometers so I’m nearer to Scotland than to London.
- Hello to all my friends in Iran
- David Almond’s message on receiving Flying Turtle’s Gold Award in its 3rd year (2014):
- The good news coming from Iran gave me a lot of energy and reminded me what a wonderful job I have!
- More than everything, there is something wonderful about this picture book. We – especially children – can, in this way, share our thoughts and feelings.
- People in Iran have read my book and liked it. They have even given it an honorable award.
- For this reason, picture books are very personal for me.
- I was thinking the process of creating a picture book is very personal and private. Because a write and illustrator spends most of their time thinking and working in their privacy.
- I wish I could be there and share my happiness with you, but because I have to finish my last book by spring this wish is not realized.
- Helle! I am fortunate… I am Hee Na Baek, a writer and illustrator of picture books.
- 2013/02/18
- Yours sincerely
- The first reason of my happiness is literature’s boundlessness. My Hugo and his stories has travelled to wonderful lands; to lands I have never seen. Hugo and his stories have entered the heart of millions of people and I proudly announce that I am happy he has reached your beautiful, mythological and rich land.
- Since childhood, I have always liked to be the first in everything, and now once more, this wish has come true. I thank you whole-heartedly.
- Brian Selznick’s message upon receiving Flying Turtle’s Gold Award in its 1st year (2012):
- Reflections in the Press
- Holding seasonal celebrations, creating occasional campaigns for promoting books and reading, releasing topical packages, publishing pictures and reports from the event in the media and on social networks encourage families to obtain and read books for their children.
- This feature has made people trust Flying Turtle, and the books introduced through its list are highly welcomed. Before the release of this list, many good books published across the country could not make their way into book markets, but now, with their being listed in this list, all worthy books have got the chance of entrance to book stores.
- Although some governmental organizations in Iran like the Institute for the Intellectual Development of Children and Young Adults and some non-governmental institutes like Council of Children and Young Adults’ Books provide a list of suitable books too, it is only Flying Turtle that is active in releasing and popularizing elected books both in every season and in various ways.
- With the respect and sense of obligation that Flying Turtle has towards copyright, despite the fact that Iran has not signed Bern Convention, it awards only writers of books and not their translators.
- Flying Turtle’s board of judges, besides providing the seasonal list, select the best books of the year and honor them with a gold and silver award. The books which receive five or six Turtles will be the prime nominees for the Flying Turtle’s gold and silver awards.
Jean-Claude Mourlevat’s message on receiving Flying Turtle’s Gold Award in its 5th year (2016):
Hello!
With a lot happiness, I got to know that the Flying Turtle’s board of judges have devoted their literary prize for the fifth year to my La Rivière à l’Envers and the gold medal of this award it given me.
I became so impressed and am thankful, especially because this prize has included this book of mine which has a special value for me. In fact, this prize is given to my book, not to me; and my book has moved ahead of me.
I wrote this book fifteen years ago and feel that its value is more than me.
Among the seven novels I have written, La Rivière à l’Envers is a book that has gone beyond my will and control!
Sometimes I say the kind fairy of writers – yes, there exists the kind fairy of writers – has come down, risen her wand and said: “You work so hard, and we pity you. Here you are! This is your gift.”
The kind fairy of writers never came down to me after La Rivière à l’Envers, and now has come to me again.
I wrote this book in a certain situation. When in 1998 I was busy writing it, I wanted to write an adventurous story without complexities, and a very happy one. But in that year, my father died and the process of my writing changed.
A novel supposed to be without complexities, and to be simple and adventurous changed to a sad novel with deep meanings about life and death. This novel was a mixture of simple and complex meanings and this attracted the readers’ attention.
Anyway, I am happy you have liked the novel and elected that. I thank the board of judges very much and send my greetings in advance to all readers who, with your, the judges’ favor, get familiar with this book and read it.
Kate Powling, manager of Siobhan Dowd Trust’s on receiving Flying Turtle’s Gold Award in its 6th year (20017):
Thank you very much to have given this year’s Flying Turtle’s gold award to the book Bog Child. It is very great that international readers appreciate Siobhan Dowd’s work. We hear much that readers enjoy London Eye Mystery, a book which takes place here (in London). But Bog Child is about a special time and place in the history of England, and it is great to hear it is important for readers outside Britain. Siobhan never lived to see her Bod Child published. She established an institute to which the profit of the publication of her works go.
We thank you both for your award to this book and for the project’s benefits, a project that maintains stories, books to the children that need them most.
Flying Turtle’s official Weblog: