Jonathan Landaw

This illustrated long-format paperback chapter book is a favorite and belongs in any Buddhist children’s book library. It follows the journey of Prince Siddhartha and how he became the Tathagata, the Buddha, the Awakened One. There are 30 chapters, which cover many of the important turning points in Buddha’s life. The authors did an excellent job selecting these points. Middle Way School students particularly liked the story of young Siddhartha and his cousin Devadatta arguing over the swan, which is featured on the front cover. They wove it into their school play.

The full-color illustrations, nearly one for every chapter, are elementary and sweet. The messages of nonviolence, loving-kindness, and unselfishness come across in a non-dogmatic way and offer great jumping-off points for rich discussion.

There is a companion coloring book of the illustrations that we photocopied so the children could color while listening. When they were finished coloring, we attached the sheets to a long ribbon and strung them across the room so we could reference the stories from time to time.… (mere)

This is one of the most boring books I have ever read. Although the information they're trying to cover about Buddhism is complicated they seem to make it even more complicated. The book doesn't give you very many historical facts and relies allegorical stories about a hypothetical life. This is tiresome and pointless as being lectured in a classroom in 3rd grade about the importance of being kind to your neighbor. You won't learn very much about Buddhism here you might wanna try Wikipedia instead well you'll get a much better picture.… (mere)

I love this series.

Buddhism is a belief system that fascinates me but, upon which, I had no real understanding. This book is a great entry point. It takes one from a complete outsider to a point at which one is able to make reasoned decisions about, in this case, Buddhism.

The second value of this book is that it is not just a single read, it becomes a reference work to which one may return regularly. It is set out in such a way that it is simple to find a specific idea which one may wish to re-examine.… (mere)

"One of the most striking aspects of Tibetan Buddhism is its wealth of visual imagery. Ranging from the tranquility of a serenely poised meditator to the dynamic energy of apparently wrathful figures, this vivid and diverse imagery often leaves Western observers as puzzled as they are fascinated. Who are these figures, and what do they mean? Images of Enlightenment answers the need for a clear and straightforward guide to the inner world of Tibetan Buddhist sacred art. Focusing on some of its most important and representative images, this richly illustrated book introduces the reader to the tradition of spiritual self-transformation embodied by these depictions of enlightened energy through clear iconographic representations and descriptions."… (mere)