Two tales adapted from Rumi's writings. The book is 98 pages written in English with Arabic translation. Rumi’s stories carry many themes. I chose these two stories because of the themes that people can overcome something really big even when they are small, and the value of thinking critically to devise creative solutions to hard problems.
98 Pages - 8.5" x 8.5" - ISBN: 9780999037300 / Library of Congress Number: 2018930543. The digital version of Bird's Wisdom is on Amazon as a kindle ebook.
Hello. My name is Mustafa Alami.
I create and illustrate stories, paintings, prints and cards.
Bird's Wisdom is an illustrated retelling of The Bird's Wise Counsels. In this tale, a bird is captured for a meal and offers to exchange wisdom for its release. The bird shares his pearls of wisdom but his captor is unable to appreciate the teachings. The key to wisdom is not just comprehending, but being able to apply it situationally.
Rabbit's Wit
Rabbit's Wit is a creative adaptation of The Lion and the Beasts, where I replace the beasts of Rumi’s valley with a village of rabbits and his lion with a fantastic beast. In the story, the beast invades the village and steals their harvest. A young rabbit devises a clever plan to save his village. The beast is scary, just as life can be scary at times, and to see a youngster overcome his fear and succeed makes us all feel stronger and more confident in using our wits to overcome our challenges.
Rumi
Jalāl ad-Dīn Muhammad Rūmī or Rumi (1207 – 1273), was a 13th-century poet, Islamic scholar, and mystic. His poems and stories use every day life to describe the spiritual world and have universal appeal.
Author's Note
My goal is to bring old wisdom tales to life with colorful illustrations and simple narration. The stories are a way for me to connect with my heritage and an excuse to create illustrations.
This not your typical picture book. It doesn't end well for the beast and the man. Each was tricked by the false promise of quick wealth or easy reward, but their failures, as ours, are an opportunity to learn, an opportunity to pursue wisdom and wit.
