Gr 1-3–From the opening title, Shah’s richly sonorous voice announces Rumi with gravitas. Before he was the beloved poet, he was Muhammad, a boy who began his mornings with the beautiful sound of the birds. “The quieter you become,” he thought, “the more you are able to hear.” That peace is truncated by Genghis Khan’s Mongol invasion, forcing Muhammad and his family to flee. Despite the arduous journey, the boy finds joy in the singing birds, his father’s music, and his mother’s laughter.