Champ

A powerful and wise story about finding the courage to be yourself, despite the pressure to conform.

Abtin is nothing like the rest of his family. The Moleskis are fiercely competitive sports champions, and they expect Abtin to become a great athlete too. But Abtin is a reader, an artist, and has his own way of doing things. Despite his family’s best efforts, Abtin remains stubbornly himself. Wanting his family to be proud of him, he comes up with a plan to make them happy: a plan that doesn’t go quite as expected…

Written and illustrated by two celebrated Iranian creators, Champ is a book for anyone who marches to the beat of their own drum: for the artists in a science family, or the readers in a sports family. It is a book for those around the world who have resisted and continue to do so, no matter what.

An Aldana Libros Book, Greystone Kids

Payam Ebrahimi was born in Tehran. He has a degree in nuclear physics, but has worked as a graphic artist, journalist, and filmmaker. He has written numerous books for children and adolescents, and lives in Tehran.

Reza Dalvand is a member of the Iranian Society of Illustrators and has published more than 30 picture books in America, Europe, and Asia. He lives in the U.S.