The way to my heart is a good grilled cheese (or pb&j) and a glass of milk. But the other thing that gets me going is swag from book people. Especially if it is a book itself. Recently I was asked to take a survey about a publisher and its books. I thought why not? And the fact there was a thank you book to boot? Double why not! And that thank you book was Rumi–Poet of Joy and Love by Rashin Kheiriyeh (concept by Jalal ad-Din Muhammad ar-Rumi or Rumi).
The story is about the ups and downs of the scholar and poet, Rumi. We know how a leader is made, as we’ve seen this before in other books. Of course, their story is unique to them, but there are usually similarities. This part is nice, but didn’t WOW me, though I enjoyed it as I knew little about Rumi. I liked the introduction biography aspect and even had a peek into a culture I’m not completely familiar with, or could add to what I did know.
And this allowed me to have the fun thing for the adult reader in me, as I could compare Rumi to other leaders (from religious to secular). And the kid reader liked learning about a new person. But it was the illustrations that blew me away. Busy, crowded, colorful, detailed images that flew off the pages. They assaulted the eyes, and they are AMAZING! They tell the setting (the era and the country) and become a poetic symbol of the work. While you’re not completely able to tell the story of Rumi from them, they are supportive of the plentiful text.
In many ways this is not for kids but for adults, especially for fans of the poet. You can tell the author is a fan of the work and captures the feelings they have in text and art. This is not the first book created about Rumi, and probably won’t be the last, but it made me want to find some books that came before. And NorthSouth Books and I are going to be lifelong friends!