Beautiful, appropriately medieval, both spare and maximalist. Makes me want to read the original next. ( )

So mystical; I was bored. But the illustrations are still good.

Beautiful retelling with beautiful illustrations.

Noted children's book artist and author, Peter Sis, has released his first book for adult audiences with a brilliant adaptation of the epic poem, The Conference of the Birds, by the 12th century Sufi poet, Farid ud-Din Attar. This poem begins with the poet transforming into the hoopoe bird and determined to unite the world of warring birds in an exodus to the mountain of Kaf. The Simorgh, the true king of the birds, lives there and will be able to answer all of the birds' questions. Though at first the birds are excited to find resolve to their problems, as they learn just how arduous a journey this will be, they begin to have their doubts. The hoopoe rallies them throughout the journey though some don't and some won't make it. By the end, only 30 birds remain (which, if you know Persian, you know that "si" and "morgh" means "30 birds"), and they find not a king, but themselves, united by their harrowing journey and the answers within themselves all along.

I first read about this poem a couple years ago when I read Lipstick Jihad by Azadeh Moaveni. Intrigued, I hunted down a copy of Attar's original text and found the poem's message of self-reliance and resilience overwhelmingly moving. At the same time I thought that this could make a beautiful book if illustrated and condensed to reach a wider audience (since reading an epic poem can be rather daunting to most people). When I found out recently that Peter Sis had taken on this endeavor, I knew that this poem was in good hands. Sis spoke last night at the Schlafly Branch of St. Louis Public Library, presenting both the story and how he connected with it, growing up in the Czech Republic well before the wall came down and then moving to America and honing his craft. He discussed how he found himself in the journey of the poem and how birds have always been a recurring image in his art, symbolizing the ideal of freedom. Thankfully, Penguin appreciated his vision as well, and together they created a stunning tribute. The paper is textured, almost linen-like, lending the book a contemplative feel that reflects its contents. Sis alternates the movement of the birds with moments of contemplation not just with his interpretation of the words, but by contrasting the vibrant colors and stately black-and-white. The poem is already a breathtaking masterpiece by itself; reading it with Sis' touch is an experience. No doubt the care he took into adapting Conference will translate into a resounding personal connection each reader will find within its pages. ( )

This book is aesthetically very pleasing, but I do not have enough context about the original poem to fully appreciate or understand it. ( )

It's a lovely thing to have this book in your hands. The paper is thick and textured and the pictures have a patterned rhythm that makes turning each page a joy. I really enjoy illustrations in books and reading this made me remember it. The poem is very secondary to the art in the book--just the barest thread of the story in the original poem, told in many fewer words, with the art taking on much of the burden of imparting meaning. Very enjoyable. ( )

This is my first experience with the Persian story/poem of abandoning pre-conceptions and leisure to go through trials to find answers within yourself. The story is much abbreviated and while the tale is fairly common, it is a story I like hearing so I may seek out a longer adaptation or perhaps the full translation. I think I would have preferred the book if it had provided a little more from the original poem. The artistry is at times interesting and beautiful, but most of the time I found it just okay. I guess it's not my style. ( )

I loved this book. The ideas are deep but the writing is not complicated. It is organized in a very interesting way and there are not an overwhelming amount of text. Each chapter is short but carries a lot of meaning. I feel that it could be used in a classroom with upper level elementary kids to provoke in depth discussions. This book really pushes the reader to uncover the deeper meaning and understanding of the story. The illustrations on every page are amazing. The combination of illustrations and simple meaningful text make this a truly awesome book. The big idea of the book is to expose readers to beautiful artwork, provide a different point of view and to get children to think about ideas that may be considered "outside of the box". ( )

The spare text, based on a 12th-century story, is quite philosophical: this is not a "children's book" per se. The design of the book is remarkable, and the joy is in the details of Sis's lush illustrations. ( )

Sis's breathtaking art brings new life to the 12th century Persian epic poem. Stunningly illustrated and beautifully designed. ( )

Another beautifully illustrated book from Peter Sis. In the true spirit of poetry, the few words he choses to adapt from the lengthy original beautifully convey the messages and story of the original. ( )

My goodness, what a gorgeous volume. Even the heft and texture of the paper. Peter Sis is a treasure. ( )

Of the five books I read this week by Sís, this was my favorite. It is a retelling of the 12th century Persian poem by Farid ud-Din Attar. The first thing I noticed when picking up the book was the paper. It's a textured, linen (?) paper that adds to both the tactile and visual experience. Most of the pages are designed to look as though they are old parchment, perhaps with coffee stains. Sís begins by morphing the poet into his protagonist, the hoopoe bird and then launching into the story. Every page is stunning, with incredible detail, I've been through the book probably three times now, and every time I discover something new. Combine the artwork with the simple retelling of the story, and the result is a beautiful book that begs to be owned. ( )

Exotic in the extreme

LIDO!

After seeing several people rave about this book, I almost decided to purchase it sight unseen, but instead put in a purchase request at the library and was lucky enough to receive it within a couple of weeks. I thought the illustrations were lovely of course, being a fan of Peter Sis's work as I am, but I can't say I was all that taken by the project a whole, no matter how badly I wanted to be. Perhaps it was my head space, but this Sufi poem didn't appeal to me all that much in this abridged version (not that I've read the original), and the spiritual message which I'll resume here as being "the power is always within you", doesn't do much for me in my current state of mind. I saw many comments were made about the choice of paper for this Penguin Press edition, and I can see why it might have appealed, but it so happens that as a designer I've seen many types of paper samples in my career, and I've never been fond of this particular paper texture, which is meant to imitate linen. Perhaps if my expectation hadn't been so high I would have been blown away by this book, but as it is, I just found it to be quite good, but no more. I partly lay the blame on Sís himself; I've looked at and read quite a few of his books by now and have come to expect from him the kind gorgeous imagery he seems to deliver every time with his unique style and personal imprint. That being said, I strongly recommend this book; it's an excellent project, call me blasé, that's all. I'll just have to get my hands on the more recently released edition by SelfMadeHero and see if a change of mood and paper texture might up my appreciation factor. ( )

Rating: 4* of five

The Book Report: The book description says:
“In The Conference of the Birds Caldecott Honor-winning children's book author and illustrator Peter Sís breathes new life into this foundational Sufi poem, revealing its profound lessons.
Sís's deeply felt adaptation tells the story of an epic flight of birds in search of the true king, Simorgh. Drawn from all species, the band of birds is led by the hoopoe. He promises that the voyage to the mountain of Kaf, where Simorgh lives, will be perilous and many birds resist, afraid of what they might encounter. Others perish during the passage through the seven valleys: quest, love, understanding, friendship, unity, amazement, and death.

Those that continue reach the mountain to learn that Simorgh the king is, in fact, each of them and all of them. In this lyrical and richly illustrated story of love, faith, and the meaning of it all, Peter Sís shows the pain, and beauty, of the human journey.”

My Review: Oh heavy, heavy sigh. I have read a picture book and I have liked it. The floodgates are now open, I fear. I hasten to point out to the picture-book crowd that this is in no way a graphic novel! It is a poem adapted to picture-based storytelling.

The first question most Americans have is, “Whatinahell's a hoopoe?!”
This is a hoopoe.

It was a symbol of virtue in Persia, and its crown of feathers and coloration make it a natural choice for the role of leader-bird. In fact, the hoopoe is also the king of the birds in Aristophanes' play The Birds, to which antique model this poem bears a glancing resemblance. I don't know of any scholarly opinion or research on this observation, but the survival of so much Greek literature in the Islamic east makes me wonder if perhaps Attar, the Sufi poet who created The Parliament of the Birds as a didactic tool for the introduction of his readers to the central tenets of Sufism (the seven valleys the birds fly through are the seven ways man has of knowing god), had encountered and was influenced by Aristophanes' work.

So what are the valleys? What is Sufism? I'll give you the logline on Sufism: Mystical Islam. The valleys, in Sis's work, are:

♪ Quest
♪ Love
♪ Understanding
♪ Detachment
♪ Unity
♪ Amazement
♪ Death

Now I'll level with you here: I totally don't get the Sis versions of the valleys, and what they're supposed to represent in the quest for the True King of the Birds, Simorgh. Not even a little bit. But I've read enough quest-based literature (pretty much all sci fi and definitely all fantasy, and all mystery, fiction is rooted in the quest branch of literature) to get where I'm supposed to go. The Birds meet and decide to seek out a King whose wisdom is guaranted to answer all their questions and thus provide for all their needs. This leads all the numberless birds off to the mountain Kaf, in China (sort of), where Simorgh lives. Through the many many miles of travel, most of the birds die and, in the end, the hoopoe their leader-bird gets them to Kaf, only to discover that the mountain has only a lake, which the thirty birds remaining fly over, and see themselves in its perfect and still waters...

And there it is. “Thirty Birds” in Attar's native language is “si morgh”...SIMORGH! The king of the birds is...the birds themselves!

Why on earth would I, an agnostic and an old curmudgeon, like such a simplistic “the answer was in you all along” tale? Because it's true, and it's always been true, that looking within for guidance and sustenance and a moral compass is the surest way to make the journey to wisdom short and sweet. It's also been taught to us that we must rely on an external god for revelations and meaningful guidance, and Sufism says that god put all that inside us for us to find, so I find this story a useful corrective to the error and misdirection foisted on people by their religions.

Plus the artwork. Are you a person who, on seeing a maze, MUST solve it before moving on with your day? If you are, this book will please you. There are mazes and mazes and mazes. It's a blast. The meditative beauty of some of the images gave me lovely moments of contemplative trance, and at other times made me feel as though I too was flying, and always left me with the softly stroked sensation of having one's hands and face washed by a gentle, loving hand using soothing scented water.

The paper that The Penguin Press' production people chose for the book is weird, in that it's very strongly textured. This flies in the face of established custom, which dictates the use of very smoothly coated heavy paper for illustrated books. That, the received opinion has it, allows the artwork being printed to speak for itself. Sis's artwork in this book, being watercolory and soft-edged in its execution, would look weak and bland on conventional wisdom's paper, whereas on this strongly textured paper, where the whole sheet has visible large and small geometric structure, the contrast of the artwork's lovely swirls and soft curves and unplanned-looking dissolves from one color to another is made a part of the message.

It is a beautiful object, this book. It is a beautiful and simple message, and one I am already in sympathy with, too: Look. Look inside. Let the wind blow through the empty places...they are there for a reason. And, no matter how many say they will come with you, only a few will ever finish the journey. Treasure them, and the path that led you all to the calm, still lake where your reflection is sharp and clear and starkly beautifully you. ( )

A beautiful book in word and images. This is a translation of an ancient work (1177)The story is of a flight of birds, many and different birds, to a mythical place known as 'Kaf' where the King resides. The thrust of the tale is the lessons learned by the birds as they travel through seven 'valleys' of introspection. What they learn on arrival, the birds that make it all the way, is personal to each of them. A charming book with mesmerizing images on each page. ( )

Soft colors and fine drawings with words provide the story originally told by Farid Ud-Din Attar of northeastern Persia of the late twelfth and early thirteenth centuries. Simorgh the king take his fellow birds into seven valleys; each with their own labyrinths. The themes cover: quest, love, understanding, detachment, unity, amazement and death. The extra fine texture of the paper makes the book enjoyable to hold and enjoy.

The thing that impresses one the most about Sis’s adaptation of The Conference of the Birds is what an incredibly personal, even intimate, vision it is. The original epic poem is an immensity—a treasure chest of stories and parables as the birds on their quest voice their fears and confusion and are answered by their leader in fairy tales and teaching stories. Sis of necessity passes over ninety-five percent of the ornament of the poem, its many side-paths and detours. But where he decides to include a story the interpretation is telling, such as his account of the gravedigger, which in the original goes like this:

A man who lived by digging graves survived
To a ripe old age. A neighbour said: “You've thrived
For years, digging away in one routine —
Tell us the strangest thing you’ve ever seen.”
He said: “All things considered, what’s most strange
Is that for seventy years without a change
That dog, my Self, has seem me digging graves,
Yet neither dies, nor alters, nor behaves!”

And here is how Sis read it:

Hoopoe: The ancient gravedigger
was asked if you can bury love.

He answered that he had buried
many corpses over many years but
had never once buried his desires.

Sis says in an NPR interview that he draws because English is not his native language. Maybe so, but he is no slouch with words, and shows an uncanny ability to condense the far-reaching message of Attar’s poem into ringing phrases. “Love loves difficult things” is the reason the hoopoe gives the other birds to start on their journey. . .read full review

Like everyone else who has touched this book, the first thing I'm going to gush about is just how ridiculously gorgeous it is. It's a treat to hold, a very visceral reminder to any reader of the magic contained in books. Sís' first book for adults brought out in me that feel of anticipation upon opening a book, breathless at the wonders contained, hopeful and excited. I was acutely aware of reading a book because I literally stroked the pages (the paper is textured); I poured over every image, captivated by Sís' art. (In fact, I read this in bed with my wife, and we both oooh-ed and aahhh-ed until breathless.)

When I recovered from the pretty, I went back to reread, which was hardly a difficulty since the book is so flippin' attractive. The poem itself is lovely, a clean and modern rendition of a Persian poem by the same name. The original was written by Sufi poet and mystic Farīd al-Dīn ʻAṭṭār, meant to convey the tenets of Sufism (as he saw them). Reading Sís' version -- clearly not meant to be overtly religious, even if it is meditative -- is a little emotionless, as I found myself not entirely connecting with the purpose of the birds' journey. The bird-king Simorgh is a figure that would be familiar to Persian readers, a mythical creature that resembles a gryphon; in the Sufi tradition, Simorgh is used as a metaphor for God. In searching for Simorgh, the birds are searching for God. Through trials and tribulations, they learn what-who-where God is (or in this case, who the king is.) This is a very non-denominational book that would be good for children and adults of any spiritual stripe, and I think the book provides a unique opportunity to meditate on one's personal relationship with a higher power or greater being. The story is less about the birds and more about the journey.

And what a beautiful journey. Splurge on yourself or someone you know, if only to glance your fingers over the paper and grow excited with each turn of the page. Delight in a book, really wallow in it -- this is worth diving in to! ( )

The Conference of the Birds by Peter Sis, an acclaimed children’s author and illustrator, has taken his skills to a 12th century Sufi epic poem of the same name written by Farid ud-Din Attar, who was not only a poet but a mystic. Often these types of poems have a hidden spiritual meaning, and Sis deftly captures the essence of Attar’s poem with illustration.

In this illustrated version of the epic poem, the pictures speak for the poet, Attar who wakes from a dream to realize he’s a hoopoe bird. Once he transforms, he calls all of the birds of the world together to find their true king, Simorgh, by flying through the seven valleys — The Valley Of Quest, The Valley Of Love, The Valley Of Understanding, The Valley Of Detachment, The Valley Of Unity, The Valley Of Amazement, and The Valley Of Death — to reach Mountain Kaf.

In the beginning, the transformation of Attar is shown much like animated cartoons would have been created, with the flipping of each panel where each image has slight differences to create the illusion of movement. Once the birds agree to take the journey, it is clear that it will take them through a number of valleys that will test their resolve, with each bird’s skills and weaknesses hammered by adversity and uncertainty. Sis creates vivid birds of various colors and species. Even if the pages of this book were not textured, readers could see the feathers and layers on these birds.

Read the full review: http://savvyverseandwit.com/2011/11/the-conference-of-the-birds-by-peter-sis.htm... ( )