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Pea Boy and Other Stories from Iran
Iran is a country of mountains striped with snow, dense forests where bears and lynxes still roam, deserts, bazaars . . . but above all it has stories — of fairies and demons, of a monstrous metal eagle called the okab, of romantic cockroaches and foolish weavers. During her travels in that large and diverse country, award-winning novelist Elizabeth Laird has gathered a wealth of stories, and here she retells, in her own inimitable style, some of its best. This book is an exciting insight into a people with an ancient and rich culture, making an important contribution to international understanding as well as being a rewarding book in itself. Beautifully illustrated by a gifted young artist who was brought up in Iran, Pea Boy and Other Stories from Iran is a feast for the eye and the ear.
64 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2010
4 people are currently reading
64 people want to read
About the author
Elizabeth Laird
214 books198 followersLaird was born in New Zealand in 1943, the fourth of five children. Her father was a ship's surgeon; both he and Laird's mother were Scottish. In 1945, Laird and her family returned to Britain and she grew up in South London, where she was educated at Croydon High School.
When she was eighteen, Laird started teaching at a school in Malaysia. She decided to continue her adventurous life, even though she was bitten by a poisonous snake and went down with typhoid.
After attending the university in Bristol, Laird began teaching English in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. She and a friend would hire mules and go into remote areas in the holidays.
After a while at Edinburgh University, Laird worked in India for a summer. During travel, she met her future husband, David McDowall, who she said was very kind to her when she was airsick on a plane. The couple were married in 1975 and have two sons, Angus and William.
Laird has also visited Iraq and Lebanon. She claims to dislike snakes, porridge and being cold but enjoys very dark chocolate, Mozart, reading and playing the violin in the Iraq Symphony Orchestra.
She currently lives in Richmond, London with her husband.
When she was eighteen, Laird started teaching at a school in Malaysia. She decided to continue her adventurous life, even though she was bitten by a poisonous snake and went down with typhoid.
After attending the university in Bristol, Laird began teaching English in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. She and a friend would hire mules and go into remote areas in the holidays.
After a while at Edinburgh University, Laird worked in India for a summer. During travel, she met her future husband, David McDowall, who she said was very kind to her when she was airsick on a plane. The couple were married in 1975 and have two sons, Angus and William.
Laird has also visited Iraq and Lebanon. She claims to dislike snakes, porridge and being cold but enjoys very dark chocolate, Mozart, reading and playing the violin in the Iraq Symphony Orchestra.
She currently lives in Richmond, London with her husband.
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
July 9, 2010
I love my job. You would too if you were me. I work in the main branch of New York Public Library in the most beautiful children's room imaginable. More to the point, I profit off the talents of the children's librarians that have come before me. Thanks to their efforts over the last century, my room is privy to a large, lush, fantastic folktale/fairytale section. That means that when a parent or teacher comes in and says, "I need all your Aztec folktales!," I can actually provide them with what they want. Ideally, when this kind of request comes in I like to hand the patron some picture books and at least one collection of multiple tales. And until this moment in time, if someone were to come up to me saying, "Give me all your Iranian folktales", the best that I could do would to be to give them individual picture books like, Forty Fortunes A Tale of Iran by Aaron Shepard or maybe Susan Nadimi's The Rich Man and the Parrot. We apparently don't own any collected Iranian folktales that circulate. Until now, that is. Five time shortlisted Carnegie Medal author Elizabeth Laird already created the collection A Fistful of Pearls and Other Tales from Iraq. Now she turns her attention to the Iranian part of the world with Pea Boy and Other Stories from Iran. And we, at long last, get the Iranian folktale collection we've needed for quite some time.
"Iran is a country full of stories: of jinns and fairies and demons, faithful mice and frivolous cockroaches, foolish young weavers and curious sparrows." I can't think of a better way to describe the stories that Laird has collected here. In seven distinct tales Laird tells us some tales that sound familiar and others that are wholly original. "Kayvan the Brave" the story of a foolish young man who accidentally stops a war, bears more than a passing similarity to English Jack tales, particularly "Jack the Giant Slayer". "The Prophet Khizir" and "The Cloth of Eternal Life", however, are both entirely new and different. You'll hear stories about the most powerful sparrow in the world and tales about enterprising chickpeas with healthy appetites. At the end, Laird includes a small Bibliography of other collected Iranian/Persian tales. It is worth noting that the most recent one listed is from 1971.
It almost feels that the book is preparing you for the worst when it opens with the tale "Miss Cockroach and Mr. Mouse". I think that I've gotten too used to folktales that clean up their acts for American audiences. Half the time you read Little Red Riding Hood these days you'll find a book that skips the part where granny gets eaten. So I admit to a little shock when I read "Miss Cockroach" and found her rejecting three potential suitors that describe the ways in which they'd beat her if she misbehaved. And, of course, it's a truly traditional tale in that the wife is seen as a silly creature because of the ways in which she fails to tend to her father and husband. Most tales are scrubbed clean of such traditional roles, but Laird is sticking to the originals in this collection and she's letting you know about that fact from page one onward. To be truthful, "Miss Cockroach and Mr. Mouse" is the only story that goes quite this far. Doesn't make it any less eye opening, though.
One thing I liked about the stories was that sometimes you could see their influences on other, possibly better known tales. For example, that first story "Miss Cockroach and Mr. Mouse" seems to be directly related to the story of Perez and Martina as told by, amongst others, Pura Belpre. But Perez and Martina is a Puerto Rican tale, right? How on earth could it be connected to a story from Iran? Well, as it happens I had a lovely conversation with the author and storyteller Carmen Agra Deedy (author of Martina the Beautiful Cockroach) a year or so ago. We got to talking about folktales and, in particular, Perez and Martina. Ms. Deedy told me about how she would argue with other people about the story's origins, so she did a little digging. Sure, the story is Puerto Rican, but that's because it came from Spain. So the story is originally Spanish? Not at all. When the Spanish went into the Middle East, the Moors taught them several folktales. Amongst them? The story of a mouse and cockroach that wed. So, you see, the story really does hail from Persia and thereabouts. Likewise, if you see a connection between the story "Pea Boy" and Margaret Read MacDonald's Little Rooster's Diamond Button, don't be too surprised.
One librarian looked at the title of this book and scoffed. "Iran. It wasn't called Iran when these folktales were made." Well . . . no, obviously. It would be easy enough to call them Persian folktales if you wanted to. Books like Christopher Manson's, A Gift for the King A Persian Tale, or Tomie de Paola's, The Legend of the Persian Carpet, or Kristen Balouch's The King and the Three Thieves A Persian Tale would all fit. That said, each and every one of these books appears in my library's catalog under the subject heading "Iran - Folklore". I see no problem with a book of classic tales making a modern connection.
The art by Shirin Adl fascinated me after a while. At first I'll admit that I found it off-putting. A little too simple for my tastes. Done in watercolors, colored pencil, and collage, the pictures are an amalgam of simple drawings and complex compositions. On a preliminary reading I though the human characters too basic in their constructions. But then, as I read on, I began to get a feel for the book. Adl's characters have a warmth and friendliness to them that kids will enjoy. There's something approachable about these characters. They're simple, but as you read the stories you grow attached to them. Plus Adl isn't afraid to show people showing emotions. Adl also really grabs your attention with "The Giant Okab" by creating a very fun, almost mechanical iron bird of copper, brass, and iron. The collage places all the characters in the right setting and keeps the illustrations from being dismissed as merely "too simple". There's a great amount of detail to be found in the collage.
On top of that, Adl is able to make connections where the story leaves you a little high and dry. At one point, for example, we see a character's son playing hand-in-hand with a shepherd's daughter and two sheep (maybe my favorite image in the book). The story only makes a brief mention of her at this point, but the picture draws your focus onto the friendship so that later, when she sacrifices herself to save the boy's life, it doesn't feel as completely out of the blue as it might have otherwise. Plus, name me all the illustrators you know that have grown up in Iran. Ms. Adl, you will admit, is one of the very few, but even without that detail I think she was an ideal person to pair to this text.
Weighing in at about 64 pages, Pea Boy and Other Stories from Iran is just what the doctor ordered. Funny, incredibly strange, honest, and unchanged. You truly believe while reading these tales that they have lasted for hundreds of years. How else to explain how peculiar they can be? Libraries and personal collections around the country should take note of this lovely little book. In a time when Iran is demonized with great regularity in our films and on our news, it's nice to see another side of the story. And by my thinking, you're not likely to see anything similar for a couple more decades, I'd wager.
Ages 5 and up.
"Iran is a country full of stories: of jinns and fairies and demons, faithful mice and frivolous cockroaches, foolish young weavers and curious sparrows." I can't think of a better way to describe the stories that Laird has collected here. In seven distinct tales Laird tells us some tales that sound familiar and others that are wholly original. "Kayvan the Brave" the story of a foolish young man who accidentally stops a war, bears more than a passing similarity to English Jack tales, particularly "Jack the Giant Slayer". "The Prophet Khizir" and "The Cloth of Eternal Life", however, are both entirely new and different. You'll hear stories about the most powerful sparrow in the world and tales about enterprising chickpeas with healthy appetites. At the end, Laird includes a small Bibliography of other collected Iranian/Persian tales. It is worth noting that the most recent one listed is from 1971.
It almost feels that the book is preparing you for the worst when it opens with the tale "Miss Cockroach and Mr. Mouse". I think that I've gotten too used to folktales that clean up their acts for American audiences. Half the time you read Little Red Riding Hood these days you'll find a book that skips the part where granny gets eaten. So I admit to a little shock when I read "Miss Cockroach" and found her rejecting three potential suitors that describe the ways in which they'd beat her if she misbehaved. And, of course, it's a truly traditional tale in that the wife is seen as a silly creature because of the ways in which she fails to tend to her father and husband. Most tales are scrubbed clean of such traditional roles, but Laird is sticking to the originals in this collection and she's letting you know about that fact from page one onward. To be truthful, "Miss Cockroach and Mr. Mouse" is the only story that goes quite this far. Doesn't make it any less eye opening, though.
One thing I liked about the stories was that sometimes you could see their influences on other, possibly better known tales. For example, that first story "Miss Cockroach and Mr. Mouse" seems to be directly related to the story of Perez and Martina as told by, amongst others, Pura Belpre. But Perez and Martina is a Puerto Rican tale, right? How on earth could it be connected to a story from Iran? Well, as it happens I had a lovely conversation with the author and storyteller Carmen Agra Deedy (author of Martina the Beautiful Cockroach) a year or so ago. We got to talking about folktales and, in particular, Perez and Martina. Ms. Deedy told me about how she would argue with other people about the story's origins, so she did a little digging. Sure, the story is Puerto Rican, but that's because it came from Spain. So the story is originally Spanish? Not at all. When the Spanish went into the Middle East, the Moors taught them several folktales. Amongst them? The story of a mouse and cockroach that wed. So, you see, the story really does hail from Persia and thereabouts. Likewise, if you see a connection between the story "Pea Boy" and Margaret Read MacDonald's Little Rooster's Diamond Button, don't be too surprised.
One librarian looked at the title of this book and scoffed. "Iran. It wasn't called Iran when these folktales were made." Well . . . no, obviously. It would be easy enough to call them Persian folktales if you wanted to. Books like Christopher Manson's, A Gift for the King A Persian Tale, or Tomie de Paola's, The Legend of the Persian Carpet, or Kristen Balouch's The King and the Three Thieves A Persian Tale would all fit. That said, each and every one of these books appears in my library's catalog under the subject heading "Iran - Folklore". I see no problem with a book of classic tales making a modern connection.
The art by Shirin Adl fascinated me after a while. At first I'll admit that I found it off-putting. A little too simple for my tastes. Done in watercolors, colored pencil, and collage, the pictures are an amalgam of simple drawings and complex compositions. On a preliminary reading I though the human characters too basic in their constructions. But then, as I read on, I began to get a feel for the book. Adl's characters have a warmth and friendliness to them that kids will enjoy. There's something approachable about these characters. They're simple, but as you read the stories you grow attached to them. Plus Adl isn't afraid to show people showing emotions. Adl also really grabs your attention with "The Giant Okab" by creating a very fun, almost mechanical iron bird of copper, brass, and iron. The collage places all the characters in the right setting and keeps the illustrations from being dismissed as merely "too simple". There's a great amount of detail to be found in the collage.
On top of that, Adl is able to make connections where the story leaves you a little high and dry. At one point, for example, we see a character's son playing hand-in-hand with a shepherd's daughter and two sheep (maybe my favorite image in the book). The story only makes a brief mention of her at this point, but the picture draws your focus onto the friendship so that later, when she sacrifices herself to save the boy's life, it doesn't feel as completely out of the blue as it might have otherwise. Plus, name me all the illustrators you know that have grown up in Iran. Ms. Adl, you will admit, is one of the very few, but even without that detail I think she was an ideal person to pair to this text.
Weighing in at about 64 pages, Pea Boy and Other Stories from Iran is just what the doctor ordered. Funny, incredibly strange, honest, and unchanged. You truly believe while reading these tales that they have lasted for hundreds of years. How else to explain how peculiar they can be? Libraries and personal collections around the country should take note of this lovely little book. In a time when Iran is demonized with great regularity in our films and on our news, it's nice to see another side of the story. And by my thinking, you're not likely to see anything similar for a couple more decades, I'd wager.
Ages 5 and up.
February 22, 2017
A lovely book with beautiful illustrations. Some of the stories were already familiar, since all of them are drawn from previous English publications of Persian folktales - still, it's a very charming collection, and perfect for children. Very vivid and colorful, with stories well selected.
June 21, 2011
The stories are all well done, but the artwork is really spectacular. It is a combination of colored pencil, watercolor, and collage that is absolutely lovely. Some of the stories are similar to stories from other cultures, but The Giant Okab was entirely new to me. It was a very enjoyable collection, and the picturebook format with color illustrations makes this a more accessible and interesting title than Laird's A Fistful of Pearls.
June 4, 2025
I thoroughly enjoyed these Persian folk tales. As with all folk tales, it seems, there are certain elements: cruel rich people, young people trying to find their own path, magical helpers like fairies, and wicked spells cast creating beasts and then broken by selfless true love.
But all with a Persian sensibility. Like the a chickpea who was sent on an errand by his father to get the long owed penny payment from the Shah. Along the route, the little chickpea was able to absorb a river, a leopard, a wolf, and a jackal--all which came to his rescue when the Shah wanted to punish him for asking for the penny that was due to his father.
My favorite was the first story in the collection, "Miss Cockroach and Mister Mouse," being perhaps the one with a message and sensibility that I have not encountered before. A silly, but beautiful and uniquely adorned Miss Cockroach is sent out by her father to find herself a suitable a husband. Each possible suitor she encounters would love to have her for her beauty, but warn her that if she is unable to do specific wifely chores, he will treat her ill for failing. She declines each offer of marriage (smart cockroach). Then, she meets Mister Mouse, who will love her, adore her, and care for her without any quid pro quo. He just wants to love her and be with her. She is happy and silly with Mister Mouse. But due to a mishap, during her rescue and subsequent making of soup for her, Mister Mouse falls in the soup and drowns. Miss Cockroach never again adorns herself so beautifully and goes back to her father where she is the humdrum, dutiful daughter.
To me, that was the level of a Shakespearian tragedy!
On a personal note, I am sad. I have been reading Iranian stories (I have more to read) because I made an Iranian online friend, an intelligent, quirky, young person with an immense appetite for life. A cultural and generational exchange, if you will. The person has gone missing from my inbox for a couple of months now. I worry but do understand these things happen. Indeed, I recall being remiss in my international penpal correspondences in my own youth and hope it is no more than that, that life has naturally become very full and sweet.
I will continue to read my Iranian books, feel connected to a dear Iranian friend (and Nanaie too), through the ether, heart to heart.
“You are not just the drop in the ocean. You are the mighty ocean in the drop.”
— Rumi
But all with a Persian sensibility. Like the a chickpea who was sent on an errand by his father to get the long owed penny payment from the Shah. Along the route, the little chickpea was able to absorb a river, a leopard, a wolf, and a jackal--all which came to his rescue when the Shah wanted to punish him for asking for the penny that was due to his father.
My favorite was the first story in the collection, "Miss Cockroach and Mister Mouse," being perhaps the one with a message and sensibility that I have not encountered before. A silly, but beautiful and uniquely adorned Miss Cockroach is sent out by her father to find herself a suitable a husband. Each possible suitor she encounters would love to have her for her beauty, but warn her that if she is unable to do specific wifely chores, he will treat her ill for failing. She declines each offer of marriage (smart cockroach). Then, she meets Mister Mouse, who will love her, adore her, and care for her without any quid pro quo. He just wants to love her and be with her. She is happy and silly with Mister Mouse. But due to a mishap, during her rescue and subsequent making of soup for her, Mister Mouse falls in the soup and drowns. Miss Cockroach never again adorns herself so beautifully and goes back to her father where she is the humdrum, dutiful daughter.
To me, that was the level of a Shakespearian tragedy!
On a personal note, I am sad. I have been reading Iranian stories (I have more to read) because I made an Iranian online friend, an intelligent, quirky, young person with an immense appetite for life. A cultural and generational exchange, if you will. The person has gone missing from my inbox for a couple of months now. I worry but do understand these things happen. Indeed, I recall being remiss in my international penpal correspondences in my own youth and hope it is no more than that, that life has naturally become very full and sweet.
I will continue to read my Iranian books, feel connected to a dear Iranian friend (and Nanaie too), through the ether, heart to heart.
“You are not just the drop in the ocean. You are the mighty ocean in the drop.”
— Rumi
March 6, 2020
Pea Boy by Elizabeth Laird is filled with wonderful stories all around the country of Iran. This book helps to capture the rich culture with the beautifully illustrated pages. This would be another wonderful addition to my classroom library.
November 3, 2010
As with any collection of folklore, some stories resonated with me more than others, but I really enjoyed this diverse collection of tales. Some tales were similar to Western tales and others were unique to me. The illustrations aren't great, but this is a welcome collection for any folklore library.
May 9, 2015
I enjoyed the retelling of Iranian folk stories and the accompanying illustrations. The Miss Cockroach story amused me particularly (as I had been discussing these insects earlier that day with colleagues) and there was a nice spread of tales.
June 24, 2011
Adaptations of Iranian folklore. Tales include: Miss Cockroach and Mr Mouse, The Giant Okah, Kayvan the Brave, The Sparrow's Quest, Pea Boy, The Prophet Khizir, and The Cloth of Eternal Life.
September 2, 2011
Lively folk tales introduce the beauty of Iran – the place and its people. A little bit of magic. A little bit of the weird. Lots of humour. Just delightful.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews