Title: The Little Black Fish
Author: Samad Beh-Rang
Illustrator: Arien Walizadeh
Translator: Ruby Emam
Year: 2008
Publisher: AuthorHouse
32 pages
Although the translator says Beh-Rang is from Azerbaijan-Iran, and other sources call him Azerbaijani, this turns out to mean ethnically and linguistically Azerbaijani but as far as country, Iranian. People self-publish for a variety of reasons, and I don't have a problem with that. I wish, though, that they would run the manuscript by a professional proofreader before they published. There are enough problems here to intrude on the storytelling.
The little black fish is held up as a moral and developmental example. I can't say how good an exemplar he is of Azerbaijani-Iranian manhood. The story appears to be a classic. However, I can say that I didn't like the little black fish or admire his behavior. While the illustrations might tempt me to show the book to others, I can't see giving it to a child. These are not my cultural or moral standards, or the ways I want my children to behave.
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