Reading with Maryam – Discovering Muslim Children’s Books that Delight and Inspire

The Conference of the Birds. By Alexis York Lumbard. Illustrated by Demi. Foreword by Seyyed Hossein Nasr. (Wisdom Tales 2012).  This book enraptured me and Maryam alike. It’s a retelling of the 12th century Sufi epic, Farid al-Din Attar’s Conference of the Birds, and it succeeds marvelously. A tale of birds who must shed their inner flaws in a quest to meet their king, this spiritual parable has something for all ages – appealing to my four-year-old at its most basic level but full of wisdom that adults will appreciate.

The illustrations, set within gilded pages like an ancient scripture, are vibrant and exquisite, as one would only expect from renowned children’s illustrator Demi. The gorgeous birds and enchanting poetry enthralled Maryam, who happily identified toucans and cardinals among the pages, and she asked me to reread the book several times before breakfast the morning she first saw it. I cannot recommend this masterpiece enough for spiritual seekers of all faiths.