Buddhist stories for children?

[the seafarer]

Hello,

Can anybody recommend a collection of good Buddhist stories for children (preferably from the Mahāyāna tradition)?

They can be traditional or modern.

Jātakas aside, one exquisite collection of stories is The Snow Lion's Turquoise Mane, a collection of traditional wisdom tales from Tibet (although not primarily targeted at children).

Any other books/stories you recommend? Thanks in advance

[Lhug-Pa]

Children's Books suggestions in this post:

http://www.dharmawheel.net/viewtopic.ph ... t=#p189606

From the above-posted post:

http://www.tibetantreasures.com/Books_C ... Books.html

And:

Legend of the Buddha

A good animated movie for kids^ (there are a few on Youtube, but this one seems to be the best so far).

[Johnny Dangerous]

Buddha at Bedtime is pretty good, I think it's put out by the FWBO, or someone involved with them.

http://www.amazon.com/Buddha-Bedtime-En ... 1844836231

Probably best for something like ages 8 or older..the art is really nice though, and even my 4 year old could enjoy it, and do some of the simplified meditations.

You could nitpick a bunch about the book as an adult and practitioner, but seriously, I thought it was decent. To be fair, it is mostly folk tales and some stuff (iirc) from the Jatakas...as you can see from the amazon reviews, that irked a few of people. So yeah you won't be able to teach your kid the twelve links of dependent origination from the book (lol), personally I would never expect such a thing, so I thought it was pretty good for what it was.

[muni]

And wisdombooks. Click on the following numbered pages please. Among the many Jakatas are other. http://www.wisdom-books.com/Subject.asp ... y=1&Page=1

[udawa]

The book that has gone down best with various small nieces and nephews is Jonathan Landaw's 'Prince Siddhartha: the Story of Buddha'. It was first published back in the 1970's I think, but I've not seen anything better since.

New edition. This is the wondrous story of Prince Siddhartha and how he became the Awakened One, the Buddha, retold for children. It is a powerful tale of fearlessness, peace and love that touches the hearts of children of all ages.

Prince Siddhartha was a very special child, handsome, intelligent and, most of all, kind. He grew up in the lap of luxury, protected by his father, the king, from ever seeing suffering. But as a young man he saw for the first time sickness, old age and death, and he was devastated. Gradually, he realised what he was destined to do...

http://www.wisdom-books.com/ProductDetail.asp?PID=22738

In case you haven't seen it, Wisdom books have a dedicated children's section on their website

http://www.wisdom-books.com/Category.as ... =15&CID=23

[shaunc]

Not a book exactly, but there is an Australian pure land Buddhist web site that has a whole section for kids. Stories, puzzles, games, etc. I'm not sure exactly what it's called but there based in Queensland. If anyone feels like doing a bit of detective work, one of the main contributors is a nun called venerable Wuling.

[shaunc]

P.S.
Some of Tidatheps Buddhist stories on this forum are suitable for children. Some aren't so check them out first. My 4 year old daughter loves looking at some of the photos.

[Seishin]

Great thread

Gassho,
Seishin

[Adamantine]

Please do not refer to or link to books written
by anyone associated with the NKT as this is
against our TOS, and if it happens again will be treated
accordingly with formal moderator action.

[the seafarer]

Thanks for all the replies so far Good stuff

[Johnny Dangerous]

So, I just checked out Samsara Dog from the library: http://www.amazon.com/Samsara-Dog-Helen ... 1933605510

What an amazing kids book, it had me in tears. The art is gorgeous and the storytelling is top notch. it even opens with a paraphrasing of Shantideva. Honestly it's even a good story for adults, it is the most moving kid's book i've ever read by far.

Now, it has to eschew being technically correct (dog reaching Nirvana) to tell it's story, but it's the best Buddhist kids book i've seen by far and really worth checking out. it's good enough that i'm going to buy it for my daughter and son, it's the kind of book that they would grow with and get more out of over time.

[udawa]

A newly published children's book that's well worth a look is the Crystal Mirror.

http://www.thecrystalmirror.co.uk/home

While not being explicitly Buddhist (the publisher describes it as 'Buddhist with a small 'b') the author is, and I think it shows in the stories. It is also rather nicely illustrated.

[odysseus]

The book that has gone down best with various small nieces and nephews is Jonathan Landaw's 'Prince Siddhartha: the Story of Buddha'. It was first published back in the 1970's I think, but I've not seen anything better since.

I was about to recommend this as well. My mother bought it for me when I was a kid and I loved it - really inspiring. Too bad I lost it and the hardcover is hard to find now. Hope the illustrations are in the paperback also...

[udawa]

The book that has gone down best with various small nieces and nephews is Jonathan Landaw's 'Prince Siddhartha: the Story of Buddha'. It was first published back in the 1970's I think, but I've not seen anything better since.

I was about to recommend this as well. My mother bought it for me when I was a kid and I loved it - really inspiring. Too bad I lost it and the hardcover is hard to find now. Hope the illustrations are in the paperback also...

Yes, the paperback does have illustrations. I don't have a copy to hand (last one given away as a present) but the cover says it's a new edition. Not sure if that means it has more material or less. Either way, a really good book.