Buddhist Stories for Kids: Jataka Tales of Kindness, Friendship, and Forgiveness by Laura Burges (Author), Sonali Zohra (Illustrator)
My take on the book:
Buddhist Stories for kids is a collection of ten short stories that have been narrated by Buddha himself about his many lives, hence these are called Jataka Tales(Birth Stories).
The first story is about a wise Monkey mother who gave a task to her kids to teach who is always watching them. The second story is about a wealthy man who lost his temper and how the Queen of the dogs taught him about decisions made in anger.
The third story is about an owlet who proves everyone can make a difference if they put their heart and soul to it. The fourth story is about a palash tree deep in the forest which appears differently for four different siblings, signifying the change the world undergoes.
The fifth story is about a parrot and a fig tree and about true friendship. The sixth story is about rumours and fears and their capability to scare even the mightiest and how they need to be faced.
The seventh story is about a Chinkara and how he taught a cruel hunter to open his heart. The eighth story is about a mischievous monkey and a Princess who taught about acknowledging mistakes and about forgiveness.
The ninth story is about a wise woman who teaches about sharing happiness. The tenth story is about a brave Monkey king and the Rajah who learnt about leadership and being a man of his word.
The ten stories have different storylines and backdrops but have a common thread of nature — trees, forests, wild life and how they lived in harmony with humans. The stories have wonderful messages which teach kids about life values, true friendships and relationships. Each story also features one wise character which was an earlier incarnation of Lord Buddha.
Each story is accompanied by mesmerising illustrations and hence a picture book like this one is apt for young minds to visualize a fantasy world along with learning important life lessons. All ten stories are equally good with all them having a good message at the end.
The author also gave details of the animals at the end of the book with a background of which country they are from, hence prompting the kids to learn more about each of them, especially those which are rare species. A perfect story book for young minds to introduce them to Jataka tales.
My rating:
5/5.