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About Buddha Stories
Product Description A golden goose demonstrates the wealth of kindness. A rabbit learns not to believe everything he hears. Throughout the ages, moral tales have been passed down from one generation to the next. Centuries ago in China, hundreds of parables were told by the Buddha to his devoted followers. His messages became widespread through fables adapted by famous storytellers like Aesop and La Fontaine. In this collection, the author has chosen ten of the most engaging classic tales from the Buddha's works. Compiled and illustrated by Demi, this wonderful collection of stories is sure to draw young readers into the ancient teachings of the Buddha, teachings that are as relevant today as they were over two thousand years ago. Amazon.com Review Some originals of the earliest Chinese-Buddhist sutras still exist--printed in gold ink on deep indigo paper. To see one is to sink into it. Demi, devout Buddhist and illustrator of children's literature, recreates the stories in the form of a children's book with smooth writing and stunning brushwork. These moral tales, taken from Jataka literature of Buddhism, relate engaging incidents among humans and animals that highlight a valuable lesson, each complete with a final moral. Children are sure to fall in love with this masterful combination of art and moral education. From School Library Journal Grade 2-7. Many of the over 500 Jataka tales can be accessed in various editions, but the 10 simple stories Demi presents here are rich in significance and provide a fine introduction to the genre. These fables have explicit morals: "The greatest wealth is the wealth of kindness," "Don't be deceived by a donkey in a lion's skin," but there is often more to the tale than the stated meaning. The turtle, who clamps his jaws on a stick to enable his geese-friends to carry him through the air, meets an untimely end when he tries to defend himself from teasing. The moral, "Disaster can come from opening your mouth at the wrong time," might equally be "Pride goeth before a fall," or "If turtles were meant to fly they would have wings," or "When friends provide a favor, do just what they ask," or a number of other lessons. This book is designed after a model of "the world's first printed book," a woodblock sutra with text and pictures in gold on indigo paper. Demi's pen-and-gold ink lines are as firm and meticulous as ever, displaying astonishing detail and appealing composition. Unfortunately, the gold-on-indigo is not easy to read, and young children may not have the patience to decipher the images. This lovely object does honor to Buddha, however, and the tales are rewarding.?Patricia Lothrop-Green, St. George's School, Newport, RI Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc. From Booklist Gr. 3^-6, younger for reading aloud. Demi, a practicing Buddhist, has been collecting jakatas, Buddha's stories, for years. In this collection, she offers 10 of her favorites and gives them an elegant presentation. As she tells readers in an author's note, the first printed book was a Buddhist teaching made with woodblocks in A.D. 600. The book contained one picture and text in gold on indigo rice paper. Demi uses that as her model for this volume, in which drawings done in gold ink grace dark navy blue pages. The one-page stories are told in the fashion of Aesop's fables (Aesop actually adapted a number of the jakatas), with the moral given at the end. Among the tales are "The Turtle and the Geese," which tells about a turtle who travels with a flock of geese by gripping a stick with his mouth while two geese hold the ends. When he talks back to a group of children, the turtle falls to his death, prompting the moral, "Disaster can come from opening your mouth at the wrong time." Other stories include "The Lion King," "The Magic Elephant," and "The Golden Goose." Children will enjoy the stories and look closely at the arresting art. Ilene Cooper Review “Demi, a practicing Buddhist, has bee
