Conference of the Birds - (Paperback)
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<p/><br></br><p><b> About the Book </b></p></br></br>Lavishly illustrated by award-winning illustrator, Demi, this magical and inspiring story of the adventures of a flock of wayfaring birds in search of their king will delight children with its tales of overcoming fear, physical hardship, and inner limitations. Based on an 800 year old classical parable, and retold by mother of three, Alexis York Lumbard, it will provide parents with a unique opportunity to teach moral and spiritual development to their children.<p/><br></br><p><b> Book Synopsis </b></p></br></br>Covers the adventures of a flock of wayfaring birds in search of their king. This book provides parents with an opportunity to teach moral and spiritual development to their children. It offers tales that can help children overcome fear, physical hardship, and inner limitations.<p/><br></br><p><b> Review Quotes </b></p></br></br><br>"The Conference of the Birds" is an illuminated retelling of a work titled "Mantiq al-Tayr," by a 12th century Persian poet named Farid al-Din Attar. Beautifully illustrated with fabulous artistic renditions of birds done in a celestial style that draws from Chinese, Japanese, and Persian traditions, "The Conference of the Birds" is a sacred story about the search for enlightenment of the soul, told in effortlessly flowing verse. The fabulously beautiful, enlightened hoopoe addresses his fellow birds, exhorting them to seek to advance to the mystical island home of King Simorgh the wise. Although the story has many obvious Judeo-Christian parallels, it is indeed about the quest for spiritual enlightenment, from the Sufi tradition. Masterfully translated, retold, and illustrated, the story's appeal is both to the naive and to the advanced mind. Children will grasp some of the essential message of hope in overcoming pride, fear, impatience, greed, and sloth in the ever demanding search for the ultimate enlightenment of great King. Each bird has a special obstacle to surpass in their flight. The dazzling and enigmatic ending adds to the mystic and satisfying appeal of the entire story. "The Conference of the Birds" is a beautiful sacred text, retold for the enjoyment and enlightenment of not only children, but everyone.--Midwest Book Review<br><br>Lumbard's debut picture book retells for a young audience the most famous work by the 12th-century Persian poet Farid al-Din Attar about a pilgrimage taken by birds to meet "King Simorgh the Wise." Sorrowing because they lack kingly guidance, the birds gather together, receive help from the inspired hoopoe, and depart on their quest. Along the way, individual birds confront spiritual obstacles: the parrot's heavy jewelry weighs her down; the finch fears the storm; the hawk, seeking to arrive first, becomes lost. Prose narration alternates with the hoopoe's rhymed speeches of encouragement, which contain a recurring refrain: "So do not let this impatience/ Destroy this golden chance./ Release its hold upon you now, / And to your King advance!" Set against white full-spread backdrops, red-bordered gilt frames decorated with small birds contain Demi's uncluttered paintings featuring brightly colored, meticulously rendered birds against pale or royal blue watercolor washes. A foreword by scholar Seyyed Hossein Nasr provides insight into Sufi poetry and bird symbolism in diverse cultures. Both prose and illustrations combine simplicity and elegance, ably rendering this classic tale for a new generation. Ages 4-8. (Sept.)--Publishers Weekly<br><br>This laudable attempt to retell the gist of a 12th-century poem of over 4,000 verses may be of interest to religious educators and parents who want to expose young people to varied spiritual values.Attar's Mantiq al-Tayr has been discussed throughout the centuries, and children and adults in Iran and other Muslim countries have been exposed to its ideas in many different versions. Here, the foreword by Seyyed Hossein Nasr provides background information on the poem, with its Sufi, Islamic and Zoroastrian elements. In the body of the text, rhyming couplets alternate with prose that summarizes the action cut from the original as the birds take on human personality traits. The hoopoe, resplendent in her red head feathers with black tips undertakes the role of leader and urges the birds to travel together to find their king. Along the way, different birds despair and try to leave the pilgrimage, but they find the strength to continue as the hoopoe helps each one to overcome its particular limitations. The duck is lazy, the parrot has too much finery weighing her down, and the finch is fearful, but all stay faithful to the search, which ultimately leads to great enlightenment. Demi's delicate watercolor-and-mixed-media illustrations, each bordered with a frieze of multiple bird images in every position of flight, suit the text admirably....--Kirkus<br><p/><br></br><p><b> About the Author </b></p></br></br>This is Alexis York Lumbard's first published children's book, and a second book, called Everyone Prays, is scheduled for publication next year. Having noticed a lamentable absence of high quality books of spiritual substance for the earliest of readers, she began writing her own stories since becoming a mother in 2005. With a B.A. in Religious Studies from George Washington University, it is her sincere hope to bring the wisdom and beauty of the world's religions to the eager and gifted minds of young children. Alexis, her husband, and three children live in Newton, MA. - Illustrator Bio: Demi is the award-winning author and illustrator of over 130 bestselling children's books. Her titles have sold over half a million copies. The Empty Pot was selected by former First Lady Barbara Bush in 1990 as one of the books to be read on the ABC Radio Network Program Mrs. Bush's Story Time, sponsored by the Children's Literacy Initiative. Demi's book Gandhi was named a New York Times Best Illustrated Book and received an Oppenheim Toy Portfolio Platinum Award.
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