Sara Azizi

The love story of Bijan and Manijeh - the one a brave Persian knight, the other a princess of the kingdom of Turan - is retold in this picture-book retelling of an episode from The Shahnameh, the classic medieval Persian epic. Setting out on a quest for his king, Bijan rids a far-flung part of Persia of the wild boars that are plaguing it. On his journey homeward he meets the beautiful Manijeh, and although the two belong to enemy nations, they fall instantly in love. The lovers are eventually discovered, and Bijan is imprisoned underground by Manijeh's father, cast into a deep pit covered by a stone. It eventually falls to the great Persian knight Rostam, with the help of Manijeh, to free Bijan, reuniting the lovers, who live happily ever after in Persia...

The Knight, the Princess & the Magic Rock: A Classic Persian Tale is only the second picture-book retelling of a story from The Shahnameh that I have read, following upon Mohammad and Najmieh Batmanglij's The Wonderful Story of Zaal: A Persian Legend. I certainly hope it will not be the last however, and that this treasure-house of tales and legends continues to provide material for picture-book authors and artists, going forward. This one was a debut from author Sara Azizi, and it presents a fascinating story, one that can be read as a fairy-tale, on the surface, and as a philosophical exploration of the relationship between the human and the divine, at the deeper level. This second level of interpretation is briefly explored in the author's afterword, and was quite fascinating. The story itself is likewise fascinating, although the retelling itself was often a little too brief for my liking. The accompanying artwork from Iranian illustrator Alireza Sadeghian, is quite beautiful and looks, to my untrained eye, authentic.

All in all, this was an engaging, appealing folktale/legend from a cultural source not often enough explored in western children's literature. Recommended to young folklore lovers, and to picture-book readers looking for tales with a Persian background.… (mere)

I liked this book for being a folktale from a different culture. The main idea of this story is to share a classic Persian tale of a knight and his perseverence of love while the princess tries to save him. The illustrations of this book stayed true to the Persian culture with its rich, virbant colors. The setting and clothing also shares with readers what kind of place and culture Persia is. I thought that the writing of the story was good in being simple and to the point. As I was reading the story, it did seem like someone was storytelling a tale. An example of the author's writing simplicity is, “Rotsam then realized that only the power of prayer would be able to overcome te magic of the rock. He put all of his heart and mind into the prayer and then he was able to move the rock aside. Bijan was saved!”… (mere)

I liked this story because I love fairy tale stories with love and a happily ever after. However, I am not sure that I would have this book in my classroom, because it references God and prayer, and I am not sure if I would want to have this controversial issue brought up at a young age in the classroom. The book says, “Rostam then realized that only the power of prayer would be able to overcome the magic of the rock.” Because of this line I am not sure it would be appropriate for a young classroom, which this book is tailored to. I did like the text features of the book a lot, because it made the names of the characters stick out in their own way, which made reading the book easier to keep track, which is great for younger students who may have a hard time with the foreign names. The main message of this book is that love overcomes all no matter when things may seem impossible.… (mere)

“The Knight, the Princess and the Magic Rock” was a wonderful Persian tale retold by Sara Azizi. I really liked the story for the way in which it was told and for the symbolic aspects of the story. The story starts off with a picture of an old grandfather with his two young grandchildren. The grandfather tells his grandkids that he is going to tell them the story of Bijan and Manijeh and starts off by saying “Once upon a time in the ancient land of Persia.” I really liked how the author has the grandfather orally tell the story because it really contributes to the ancient feel the tale already has. Also, I really like the symbolism within, “The Knight, the Princess and the Magic Rock.” To children this story might appear to just be an adventurous tale of two people in love. However, if you interpret it based on a spiritual level, its meaning becomes much deeper. The earthly king in the beginning represents the heavenly Lord and his kingdom. Bijan represents humankind and is sent by the king to overcome evil in the world. Because Bijan does not rid all the evil within himself, he falls prey to the temptations of the world. At first, the princess Manijeh represents the world in its seductive aspect. She lives in Turan which is an enemy to Persia, where Bijan is from. Manijeh’s beauty seduces Bijan and causes him to forget his mission, thus becoming prisoner of a lower world that is ignorant of the Lord. Bijan and Manijeh fall in love and Bijan becomes a literal prisoner when Manijeh’s father finds out about their forbidden romance. Manijeh’s father throws Bijan into a hole and covers it with a boulder, representing Bijan being cut off from the heavenly light and his obstructed ego. However, our author says in her note, “The world that tempts souls away from God can also bring them back to Him.” This is exemplified through Manijeh now being viewed in a positive light as she forsakes her country and does whatever she can to free Bijan from the hole he is trapped in. The earthly king in Persia sends the most fearless knight he knows, named Rostam, to come and save Bijan. The great knight Rostam represents the divine emissary, who by God’s will has descended to the world to aid humankind. Bijan’s original sinful downfall becomes an occasion for his rising up to God, as Rostam is able to move the boulder and lift Bijan up out of the hole through prayer. This signifies that humankind can only be saved with God’s chosen representatives and through prayer. Our author states at the end of her note, “Bijan’s return to the kingdom and his marriage to Manijeh represent the self-purification and spiritual rebirth that restore us to our original nature that is made in God’s image.” I thought that this explanation was amazing and really added to the story of Bijan and Manijeh. It also helps to understand the main idea of the story which I believe is very religious. I think the main idea of the story is to show readers that God exists everywhere and is present in every situation. Also, the author is trying to convey the big idea to readers that people can only be helped through God’s assistance and that he is the answer to all problems in life. I also believe a simpler main idea the author was trying to point out is that love conquers all and that when you find someone you love you will do everything and anything for them, just like Bijan and Manijeh did for each other.… (mere)