The Parrot and the Merchant - (Tale by Rumi) by Marjan Vafaeian (Hardcover)

About the Book

An enchanting fable exploring love and freedom, based on a fable by the 13th century poet Rumi. Full color.

Book Synopsis

Mah Jahan is a rich merchant who travels far and wide to trade her goods, and keeps countless colorful birds in cages. When leaving for India, she promises to bring back gifts for all her servants, and for her favorite talking parrot. All that the parrot requests is for her to go to the jungle, greet his friends and ask if they have any messages for him. But when she delivers their message, she learns an important lesson about how to treat the ones you love

Review Quotes

A different sort of prisoner features in "The Parrot and the Merchant" (Tiny Owl, 24 pages, $16.99), a picture-book adaptation of a fable by the 13th-century mystic Rumi, written and illustrated here with weird, interesting artwork by Marjan Vafaeian (see below).Translated by Azita Rassi and, in a nod to the demands of the moment, given a female protagonist, the text has ideal phrasing for reading aloud: "Long ago in Persia there lived a merchant named Mah Jahan. Mah Jahan went far and wide, buying and selling beautiful things. The beautiful things that Mah Jahan collected for herself on her journeys were beautiful birds. She kept them in cages or chains so that they couldn't fly away and leave her."In the pictures, the intricately ornamented birds appear suspended inside small, parchment-colored blobs floating inside a larger floral blob. Mah Jahan herself has gigantic skirts beneath a tiny torso and a head that often, disconcertingly, seems one-eyed. The rich colors and distorted proportions of the figures both attract and disturb the eye as, in this story for 3- to 7-year-olds, the merchant travels to India to trade goods and ask the advice of wild parrots as a favor to one of her caged birds at home.

A tale of Rumi, the famous Persian poet, in which interactions between humans and animals result in a memorable moral. Mah Jahan is a Persian merchant who travels widely and trades in all sorts of things. On one of her trips to India, she brings back a "beautiful bright parrot" to add to her collection of caged birds; it quickly becomes her favorite bird, and she loves it dearly. Before traveling again, Mah Jahan asks her servants and the parrot what they would like her to bring them back as gifts. The servants share what they would like, but the parrot's request is unusual: It asks Mah Jahan to tell all its old friends in India it misses them and to solicit their advice for it. In seeking to bring the parrot's requested gift, Mah Jahan does not get what she expected, and the gift eventually results in the bird's freedom. This old Rumi tale is adapted by making the merchant a woman but is not otherwise significantly modernized. Iranian illustrator Vafaeian's ornamented, often surreal illustrations depict Mah Jahan in enormous, colorful skirts and frequently surrounded by comparatively tiny servants. The parrot's cage is likewise stylized, an ornamented circle that contains the unhappy captive. Despite the exuberant color used as highlights, the gray-and-sepia illustrations are often gloomy, befitting its theme. This 900-year-old story has not lost its classic feel. (Picture book. 6-9)

An avid collector, Persian merchant Mah Jahan's most precious possessions are her birds. Despite her devotion, she kept them in cages or chains so that they couldn't fly away and leave her. Most beloved is a beautiful bright parrot, favored because the parrot had learned to talk. Preparing for her upcoming trading trip to India--the parrot's home--Mah Jahan asks the bird if she would like a gift. Please say hello to my parrot friends in India, the bird responds. Tell them that I miss them, and that makes me sad. Ask them if they have any advice for me. After finishing her work, Mah Jahan visits the Indian jungle to share her parrot's message. The jungle parrots are initially silent, until one suddenly drops out of the sky. Oh, how terrible, that parrot has just died!, Mah Jahan thinks before rushing away. Back at home, describing her experience to her parrot causes an eerily similar reaction... but the parrot's seemingly fatal response will be her salvation. Award-winning Iranian artist Marjan Vafaeian daringly updates the revered 13th-century poet Rumi's familiar tale. Originally published in 2013 in Iran, then smoothly translated by Azita Rassi, Vafaeian's version assigns she/her pronouns to the merchant, inserting a subtle message about female agency, nonexistent 800 years ago. Beyond the often-adapted story (Rashin's Two Parrots is a recent example), Vafaeian's intriguing illustrations are especially noteworthy, described in an afterword as a sophisticated mix of beautiful birds and fabrics with interestingly strange, almost sinister, human characters. The natural world is cause for colorful, gorgeous celebration, Vafaeian suggests, but human intrusion turns the narrative into a cautionary tale for uncertain times. --Terry Hong, Smithsonian BookDragon Discover: Iranian artist Marjan Vafaeian updates for young, contemporary audiences an 800-year-old classic Persian tale about the value of freedom.

This poignant story is based on the fable by Rumi, a thirteenth century Persian poet, philosopher and mystic. It is a timeless tale about freedom and true love - setting free what you hold most dear - that is still just as relevant today. Award-winning Iranian illustrator Marjan Vafaian has brought a very modern twist to this ancient fable by casting a woman as the merchant. The illustrations look like a rich tapestry, with a mix of beautiful birds, fabrics and strange human characters that seem to cleverly emphasise the sense of captivity versus freedom in a metaphorical way. - Outside In World The Parrot and the Merchant is a beautiful retelling of a Rumi fable in clear language that is accessible to even the youngest of readers. The story, like many of the best stories, is simple, but it conveys an important, timeless message about love and freedom. And Marjan Vafaian's illustrations are magnificently different, unlike any artwork I have experienced before. - Planet Picture Book Exquisite, jewel-like illustrations grace every page of this thought-provoking retelling of the ancient fable from the pen of 13th C poet/philosopher Rumi. Gloriously visualised by Marjan Vafaian who has made the merchant a woman, it tells of said merchant, named Mah Jahan who collects and cages beautiful birds for her own pleasure, and one particular bird, her favourite an Indian parrot. A parrot that is able to talk. - Red Reading Hub

About the Author

Retold by Marjan Vafaeian and translated by Azita Rassi, this story is a retelling of one of Rumi's fables. Rumi was a great 13th-century Persian Sufi mystic and poet. This story comes from his book Masnavi, which explains philosophical and mystical concepts through beautiful, metaphorical allegories containing mystical points as well as wisdom and advice. Marjan Vafaeian is an award-winning illustrator from Iran. Her illustrations are elaborate, forming a visually rich tapestry, unique in style. As well as winning awards in Iran for her illustrations, she was shortlisted for the Hakka International Picture Book Award in 2017 and won the Noma Concours Encouragement Prize in 2006.