The Conference of the Birds

A common theme in the reviews of this book has been marvel at the book's beauty, from storytelling to illustration, as well as appreciation for its accessibility to all ages, children and adult. Such marvel and appreciation has been my experience as well. If this book can be summed up in one word, it is "beautiful", if in two, it is "beautiful" and "unique", if in three, it is all that and "rich". It is beautiful in many ways, of them are its its captivating storytelling and its tastefully lavish illustration. It is unique in that seldom, or at least not often enough, does an ancient tradition, in this case the Persian Sufi tradition, and the area of contemporary Western children's storytelling meet, and even more rarely do they produce such wonderful pieces of art as this. That is what this book is, a wonderfully holistic piece of art. This book is also rich in many ways. One of them is in the insight it provides, as perhaps most profoundly done in the foreword. This one page contains more reliable insight to the symbolism of birds in the Persian Sufi tradition than days at a conventional library would likely provide a curious soul with. It helps that the author or publisher asked such a well-versed and authoritative scholar to write it. In regards to the story itself, there are probably many reasons why such a story lasts about 800 years and going, and continues to be translated for civilizations as foreign and different from its origin's as the modern Western world's. For one, the profound symbolism within it subtly and effectively invites the contemplative reader to examine his or her own life's journey in contexts similar to those of the characters in the story. One finds difficulty flipping through the pages of this book without somehow relating to the scenes portrayed. Reading this story thus proves to be a moving and personal experience, at least to readers that discern between random choices for characters and scenes, on the one hand, and profound symbolism on the other. This story certainly provides the latter. In that way, this book is rich. In its method of storytelling, both verbal and visual, it is beautiful. In its rare combination of things and in its holistic approach to providing a story, it is unique. I wish for the world's children, and adults, more well-told stories and holistically produced books like this. Many thanks to the author, illustrator, and all those who have brought this gem of a story to the Western world. The divine orchestration that has lead and fueled their efforts has produced a wonderful book for all ages.

I was surprised... "The Conference of Birds" is a classic poem written more than 800 years ago by Farud-din Attar. It is about 30 birds that decide to go on a perilious journey to meet Simourgh, the legendary king of the birds, whose majesty and fame came to be known to the world when but a feather of His fell in the far lands of China. They can complete their quest only if they manage to cross the seven valleys, and that is no easy feat. Each bird has its counterpart among humans, and brings with it a fault, a hindrance in the soul, that finds excuses to avoid such a noble quest. Now, this long poem is full of rich symbols, philosophical and existential questions, and I was not sure whether it could be rendered into a book for kids. Illustrations are amazing, that is one thing, but what about the poem? Can children understand, enjoy it? Well, the answer came from my 6-year-old niece who cannot drop the book from her hands. She reads it, and wants it to be read to her, as often as she gets the chance. Not to mention that she wants to buy any book about birds that has a hoopoe in it. Well done to the authors for making available such a timeless masterpiece to kids. A feat to match any crossing of those legendary valleys, indeed. Thank you!

My family and I read this book together as soon as our copy arrived. Between the four of us- ages 52, 48, 22 and 17- we were all deeply moved and left with wonder by the end. The illustrations and the text complemented each other perfectly, with majesty, profundity and simplicity. Alexis York Lumbard has not only truly grasped the essence of Attar's timeless poem, she has provided parents and teachers a fantastic way of teaching its universal spiritual values to children. Coupled with Demi's breathtaking illustrations, this book is simply a gem for any and all libraries! And it certainly needs to be translated into a variety of languages, as soon as possible. All the birds in the book spoke to some human weakness in us all, but for my sister and me, our favourite bird was the little finch who started to tremble when a mighty storm was approaching. How often have we felt the finch's doubt and fear in times of chaos and uncertainty? The hoopoe said, "Deep in the darkness of the storm/ Heaven will see you through,/ We all have the strength we need/ Including little you!" What a wonderful rhyme from the wise hoopoe to encourage and comfort children (and all of us!) in times of difficulty. Both of these women have wonderful gifts to be able to reach into little young hearts and minds-- but they also have the talent of awakening the awe-inspired, golden-hearted child in us all.

I often wonder how difficult it would be to raise kids in this day and age that is increasingly becoming so attached to "things" and consumerism.This book provides the answer. A beautiful read and great simplification of the original poem "Simorgh". It summarizes the main themes nicely while brining out the spiritual significance of what we could achieve if we are not lazy, selfish, unkind and so on. The pictures are truly remarkable and it is a joy to hold in the hand or simply flip the pages to look at. I ordered several of these for my friends' kids and think this makes a wonderful read for anyone coming from any tradition! A must have for every kid!

The story is beautifully told and would most likely be appreciated by adults as well as children. The artwork is creative and well done. The quality of the book is really superb!

Bought as a present for a small child. His mother loves it and recognises it’s something that her child will enjoy, for different reasons, at different stages of growing up which is what I’d hoped.

This is a nice illustrated book. But it's not the complete Conference of the birds of Attar. I mean that it tells the whole story with beautiful paintings and a few verses. but it doesn't contain all the verses of the original book.

Beautifully illustrated, the wisdom of the story is universal. This islamic wisdom is exactly the spiritual education I want to pass on to my daughter. Recommand 1000%.

I purchased this for my daughters after reading the complete one a while back. Has been very well presented and bind in quality

The colours and illustrations are fantastic and the story is beautifully told with so much meaning.