Young community leader shares love of culture with first Armenian children’s book

WATERTOWN, Mass.—Meghri Dervartanian is expressing her undying love and appreciation for her mother tongue with the release of her first book: Հպարտ Հայ (Proud Armenian). “A proud Armenian is someone who wants to give their all to preserve anything and everything Armenian…someone who lives and breathes our culture and our cause,” explained Dervartanian, who may as well be describing herself following the publication of her first ever children’s book, which she both authored and illustrated. 

Her vibrant Western Armenian offering features two children—Haig and Nare—in the foreground of familiar landmarks including Mount Ararat and Noravank. The children are dressed in traditional daraz as they convey their pride in preserving the Armenian culture through song, dance and language in text written in simple, age-appropriate Armenian sentences. “There isn’t an Armenian culture without the Armenian language,” said Dervartanian during a recent interview with the Armenian Weekly. “The way that young children are going to keep reading and keep wanting to read Armenian is by loving it,” continued the first-year master’s student in elementary education at Lesley University. The 23 year-old is also a longtime member of the Armenian Youth Federation (AYF) Greater Boston “Nejdeh” Chapter, chair of the public relations council for the AYF Eastern Region, a khmpabedouhi for the Homenetmen Boston Chapter, an Armenian teacher at St. Stephen’s Armenian Elementary School, an Armenian language tutor and a spirited dancer for Sayat Nova Dance Company of Boston.