PISO HAS A NIGHTMARE ~ Փիսօն գէշ երազ կը տեսնէ
by Anna Isabekyan
Piso is an illustrated book series for children aged two and up. The first volume Փիսօն գէշ երազ կը տեսնէ deals with a very common occurrence in any household with young children. Little Piso sees a very scary dream and turns to his parents for safety.
The author/illustrator Anna Isabekyan has done something very unique in her debut work. She has created a highly interactive Armenian language children’s book. Rather than explicitly laying out the dream that Piso found so terrifying, she does not go into the details of this scary nightmare. She leaves that as a potential discussion between parent and child. The book thus can serve as a starting point for a child to feel comfortable describing his or her feelings with the parents.
The Western Armenian version, edited by Nanor Mikayelian, uses vocabulary that is crisp, clear and easily understood. This volume is perfect as a read-aloud to children two and up. Even better, the words and expressions have been selected such that they can be easily read by a six year-old.
PISO is not only a fantastic addition to Western Armenian children’s literature, but with its beautiful illustrations, endearing prose and interactive subject matter, PISO is world class content, on the level of Arnold Lobel, Dr. Seuss, Gianni Rodari and David Kherdian.