“Ant and the Scented Seed” Reviewed and Discussed in Birjand
According to the correspondent of Iran Book News Agency (IBNA) in Birjand, Elham Faghani, the head of Oloolalab Public Library in Birjand, said: “This program was held with the aim of promoting reading culture among children, familiarizing them with children’s authors, and enhancing imagination and creativity through storytelling and a craft workshop.”
She added: “This program was held in collaboration with Shahid Mortaza Hajiabadi, Eshragh Birjandi, and Oloolalab libraries, and included sections such as storytelling, crafts, book introduction, and an exclusive author signing for students.”
Samadi, the author of the book, stated about his goal in writing this work: “My effort was to recreate the values of the Holy Defense, martyrdom, and love for the homeland in the form of a symbolic children’s story. Children should know what role martyrs played in preserving the homeland, and these concepts, if conveyed through story and imagination, will be more lasting.”
Referring to the indirect message of the story, he added: “In this book, I did not intend to explicitly name an unknown martyr, but the image of the martyr’s tombstone and the story’s atmosphere led many readers to that interpretation. In my opinion, an artistic work is successful when it can create diverse interpretations in the mind of the audience.”
Samadi spoke about the publication process: “Writing and preparing this book took about five years. Its first print run of a thousand copies was completely purchased by Birjandi students, and now the second print run has also been published with a similar circulation. This reception showed me that if valuable concepts are expressed in simple language and children’s literature, they can be attractive and understandable for the new generation.”
The author, who was previously selected in the Holy Book Storytelling Festival for Children, explained the book’s theme: “The story begins with an ant finding a fragrant seed on a martyr’s tombstone and taking it to its nest. The seed brings the scent of martyrdom to the ants’ home, and this creates curiosity and transformation among them. This metaphor is a symbol of the influence of spirituality and the sacrifice of martyrs in our lives today.”
Following the program, Ensieh Karimi, a psychologist and children’s activist, engaged children with the story’s concepts through storytelling and a creativity workshop. Also, a call for a book summary competition was announced, based on which three selected students would receive free participation in a writing course, and their works would be published in Ranginak magazine.
