The Girl with a Brave Heart by Rita Jahanforuz and Vali Mintzi

The Girl with a Brave Heart is a tale from Tehran. I love universal stories like this one - folktales and fairytales.  In a few days I will be visiting a small school south of my city. Their theme this year is our connection to the world. I plan to read this book to their senior primary class. I am focusing on books which:

• are translated from other languages into English
• show children from other cultures
• present a different illustration style
• are based on universal themes such as kindness
• might be a book that is new to this group of children

The opening scenes echo Cinderella. Shiraz finds herself living with her stepmother and her stepmothers daughter, Monir, after the death of her beloved father. Shiraz is expected to do all the work- cooking, cleaning, washing and ironing. Shiraz has one precious ball of wool that belonged to her mother. She begins to knit herself a sweater when the wool rolls of her lap and off the balcony.

Shiraz needs to be brave and visit the house next door.

"Shiraz shivered - and not just because she was cold."  "The door creaked open, and an old lady with wild and dirty long hair appeared. She hadn't washed her face, her dress was filthy and her nails were long and curved."

Shiraz asks for her wool but the woman demands Shiraz complete three tasks. 
1.  The kitchen is a mess.  "I want you to smash all the dishes, and the draining board and the sink. Smash everything." 
Shiraz quietly sets to work and cleans up - washing the dishes, mopping the floor and preparing some soup.

2. The garden is a wild tangle with weeds and brambles.
"I want you to cut down all the flowers and pull out their roots.  Cut down the bushes too. Destroy everything."
Shriaz once again sets to work - pulling out the weeds and trimming the plants. She finds a spring and gives the whole garden a long over due drink of water.

3. The old woman herself is next.
"Take these scissors and cut my hair. I don't need this long hair anymore."
Shiraz gently washes the long hair, she brushes and braids it.

"Now the house was calm and clean, and the old lady 

looked much happier."

The old lady instructs Shiraz to visit two pools in the garden - one with clear water and the other dark. Shiraz has to enter the clear pool first diving in three times and then go into the dark pool three times.

When she gets home her step mother does not recognize her. Shriaz is now beautiful.  The step mother asks lots of questions and then she sends her own daughter Monir to visit the old lady. Monir does not clean the kitchen, she smashes everything. She does not clear the garden - she cuts down all the plants. She does not help the old lady with her hair she simply takes some scissors and cuts it. Monir is impatient to dive into those pools. Monir returns home transformed - she is hideous.

"Both the dark pool and the clear pool have the same water. They don't change the people who dip into them. They just make them look the way they feel on the inside."

This book has strong links with The Talking Eggs by Robert D. San Souci.  The Talking eggs is a Creole folktale. How wonderful to see a similar story from a different part of the world.

This story also feels like Cinderella and another Grimm tale called Mother Hulda. Read more about the background to the writing and publishing of this story here. Jump into a Book gives you some ideas for extending this book.

The Girl with a Brave Heart was originally published in Hebrew. Here are some other books illustrated by Vali Mintzi.