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The Girl with a Brave Heart: A Tale from Tehran by Rita Jahanforuz
A book review from Hannah Rials
As a baby, Shiraz’s mother died, and her father soon remarried, giving her a new mother and a sister to grow up with. But when her father died, everything changed. Shiraz’s stepmother forced her to do the household chores, and she grew apart from her sister, Monir.
One day after finishing her chores, she was on the roof playing with a ball of yarn that was once her mothers when suddenly the wind took the yarn away, and it landed in a neighbor’s garden. Shiraz built up her strength and went to knock on the neighbor’s door. An old, scary lady answered the door and required that Shiraz complete a few chores before she was to get her yarn back.
Instead of destroying everything like the lady asked, Shiraz cleaned and tidied and made beautiful. Shiraz was given the yarn back and told to dive three times into a clear pool and three times into a dark pool. When she had done so, she came out more beautiful than ever, looking so different that her sister and stepmother did not recognize her and almost did not let her in the house. After explaining her adventure, her stepmother threw a ball of yarn into the lady’s yard, took Monir to the door so that her daughter would be as beautiful as Shiraz. The woman again required Monir to do the same chores as Shiraz, except this time, Monir destroyed everything that Shiraz made beautiful. This time, the woman told Monir to dive in the dark pool first than the clear pool. When she returned to her house, she looked like a filthy beggar girl. It was then that Shiraz realized that the pools “don’t change the people who dip into them. They just make them look the way they feel on the inside.”
Grab your copy of this delightful book HERE.
My Opinion:
I miss stories like these—stories about selflessness and caring. Many children’s stories today are transparent or hold simple meanings. The Girl with a Brave Heart is a truly beautiful story with a character that sees past a sad woman who demands destruction and instead realizes that what the woman truly wants is beauty. It is a rare talent to see the true hearts of people, and if children can learn from Shiraz, the world will be a much better place!
Something To Do
How to do a braided bun:
- Grab three strands of hair and cross them over each other.
- Add a piece to the next strand and cross it over the middle strand.
- Add a piece to the next strand and repeat.
- Repeat steps until you have no more hair to add in.
- Braid down to the end of your hair and secure it with a band
- Pull the braid to the center of your head.
- Wrap it into a bun and pin with as many pins as necessary.
Knitting for beginners:
In this tutorial from the Queen of DIY, she showing you what you need to know to start knitting. Knitting is different from crocheting in that all stitches are comprised of either a “knit” or “purl”. Once you know these two stitches, you’ll be on your way to knitting like a pro! Get the full scoop here.
Look for an opportunity to ARK—Act of Random Kindness: Although Shiraz’s chores were not random—she had a purpose—the kindness was random. The woman asked her destroy, not to fix. And in the end, Shiraz’s beautiful work made the woman happy. It is really easy to make someone’s day—pay them a compliment, do a chore for your parents that’s not on your list. Give someone a hug. Anything you can think of that will bring a smile to someone’s face.
Born in the hills of Louisiana and raised in the mountains of Tennessee, Hannah Rials is an eighteen year old aspiring author and editor. Now a freshman in college, she’s been writing short stories since she was a little girl, but for the past several years, she has been writing, editing, and reediting a novel of her own that will soon be published by Audrey Press. Hannah has always loved reading and the world of books. With a librarian grandmother who can tell the most magical stories, how could she not fall in love with the written word? Her library collection and love for books grows every day.
I like these fables that teach kids about kindness. The wicked stepsister twist is nice too! Thanks for sharing at the Multicultural Children’s Book Day Linky!
This is such a fun fable and the illustrations are so colorful.
I also love the illustrations!! Thanks for the activities to accompany the book. All sound really fun!
I love the illustrations too. They are so colorful !!