Publishing Proposal
Author : Minoo Parniani
Genre: Illustrated Short Stories for Children and Young Readers
Target Audience: Ages 9–14
Language: English (translations from Persian originals)
Kafteki: The Owl from the Sea of Dreams
Synopsis:
From the heart of the dream-sea comes Kafteki, a small white owl with feathers the color of seafoam. Seeking friends and a place in the world, Kafteki meets Mina, a kind little girl, and a silver cat. Together they rescue a weak migrating swift, care for a silent fig tree, and slowly bring a lonely child out into the sunlight. This is a gentle, lyrical tale about friendship, empathy, and the quiet magic of caring for nature.
From the heart of a dream-sea, a small owl named Kafteki rose up. He wanted to explore the world and find new friends. So he flew.
One day, Kafteki sat on the window ledge of a kind little girl named Mina.
Mina looked at the white owl in silence. Kafteki, too, watched Mina quietly.
Days passed.
Mina spent time with Kafteki until one day, a cat with shiny soft fur and big curious eyes entered the yard.
Whenever Mina petted her, the cat purred, as if to say, “That’s nice! Keep going!” With Kafteki and the silver cat around, Mina felt much happier.
One hot, sunny day, the silver cat spotted a black bird lying still on the ground. She just stared at it. Kafteki, the wise owl, said the bird was a swift and likely too weak from hunger and thirst to fly. Swifts are strong, skillful birds who migrate long distances.
What should we do?” asked Mina, worried. “Shall I bring it some seeds?”
“No,” said Kafteki. “Swifts eat insects—like beetles and crickets, not seeds.”
With the cat’s help, Mina found some bugs and fed them to the bird. Gradually, the swift opened its eyes, flapped its wings, and chirped softly.
After regaining its energy, the swift hurried away to catch up with the migrating flock.
Kafteki sat on a fig tree nearby and saw a quiet child at a different window, watching Mina play. Mina waved, inviting the child to join them.
But the child only looked on and was too quiet to come out.
Kafteki quietly wished for rain. Maybe things would feel different then.
The fig tree had been silent for a long time. It didn’t whisper to the wind, didn’t greet the noisy sparrows. No leaves, no flowers—just silence.
But that night, something changed. Kafteki soared through the sky, found a small cloud, nudged it with his beak, and a raindrop fell on the fig tree’s branch.
The tree dreamed: a child with small hands spinning under the rain.
The next morning, Kafteki told Mina: “If you don’t water the fig tree, it won’t survive.”
Mina poured a pitcher of water onto the dry roots.
Then one afternoon, the quiet child from the other window came outside. Not to talk—just to sit on the stairs. That was enough.
Kafteki smiled from his perch.