The Conference of the Birds

An award-winning author and illustrator offers a beautiful and uplifting adaptation of the beloved Sufi poem

Celebrated children’s book creator Peter Sis presents his first book for adults with The Conference of the Birds—a lyrical and richly illustrated story of love, faith, and the beauty of the human journey. Sis’s deeply felt version of the classic twelfth-century Persian epic poem tells the story of a flock of birds in search of the true king, Simorgh, who lives on the mountain of Kaf. Drawn from all species, the flock travels through the seven valleys: quest, love, understanding, detachment, unity, amazement, and death. The birds that endure reach the mountain to learn a profound lesson: that Simorgh the king is, in fact, each of them and all of them.

Peter Sis is the author of more than twenty books and the seven-time recipient of the New York Times Book Review's Best Illustrated Book of the Year award. He lives in New York City.