Customer Reviews

Buddha at Bedtime: Tales of Love and Wisdom for You to Read with Your Child to Enchant, Enlighten and Inspire

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No matter your religious affiliation, or lack of, this book is FANTASTIC and can be read to ALL ages...really. Our girls are 4 and 5 and the 4 year old rarely has the attention span for many of the books our 5 year old does. But, since this book's stories are short, they are perfect for kids (and adults...my Mom liked it so much she bought one for herself!) and adults alike. At the end of the story, I gave each child a chance to think about and come up with a "moral" or something they learned from the story. They LOVED doing that, and though they didn't always actually get the one written in two sentences at the end, they came up with lots of other ideas that were ALSO in there. GET THIS BOOK. For Christians that feel they should ONLY read things that teach "Christian" morals, you won't feel that this goes against ANY teachings in your faith. Its not a book of religion. It doesn't try to sell another faith at all. These are all really important, basic (but not so basic that they will annoy you. These are things that kids should hear frequently while developing what kind of person they want to be, and that development needs reinforcement for years and years and YEARS...and adults need this primer too as a reminder, or as an eye opener. I LOVE this book, and am on here to find more just like it. :)

We have a (pretty verbal) 3-year old, and this is perfect for her. Moving slightly away from all-picture books, this has just the right length stories, right mix of pictures and story, and each story has a moral which Buddha spells out at the end. (Or if you were uncomfortable with that, you could just say "The moral of the story is".) These prompt some nice bedtime conversations. Also there are enough stories in the book that we've been reading a different one every night for a month, so we aren't pounding our head against the wall when she picks this book up night after night. Each story has one (lovely) full-page illustration and is 1 1/2 - 2 1/2 pages long, borrowing small bits from the original illustration throughout. The stories are entertaining and most are new to us. The publisher does a few other similar books and we will definitely pick them up.

Though this book is geared toward a higher age group, my three-year-old daughter and I just read the first story in the book and she really liked it. She also enjoyed the breathing exercise at the beginning of the book, and I think it got her relaxed and in the mood for a good bedtime story.

My only confusion is the use of Hotei or Laughing Buddha in the place of the actual Buddha Shakyamuni. Oh well, it gave me a chance to explain who the "Laughing Buddha" was.

Buddha at Bedtime is simply lovely. I review many Buddhist books regularly, for adults and children, and this has become one of my favorites. It is also a favorite of my own children.

Appropriate for children ages 4-10, this collection of bedtime stories is based on Buddhist Jataka Tales - a collection of folk tales originated in India, and used to relay ethical teachings to children. Many of these stories feature animals and magical creatures, and in Buddhist cultures are often performed through song and dance at festivals.

Buddha at Bedtime retells some of these stories in contemporary words and style, and includes luminous anime-style pictures at the start of each story. Each story begins with the phrase "Relax, be very still, and listen", and ends with a summary of the 'lesson', such as this one at the end of the first story, 'The Brave Little Parrot':

"Sometimes we can feel helpless when faced with a great challenge. A wise person knows that love and compassion can give them the courage to achieve things that they thought were impossible."

Or this, from the end of 'Two Ducks and a Turtle':

"All too often, we open our mouths in anger without thinking about what might happen next. A wise person thinks before they speak, and if they can't say something kind, they keep silent."

For some parents, this might seem a little too morally heavy-handed, but personally I don't think it comes across that way in the book. The stories themselves are fun, and the pictures and page accents so captivating that this book has become a favorite of my own children, and the lessons don't diminish their enjoyment one bit. All of the themes are very universal, which makes this book appropriate for both Buddhist and non-Buddhist parents and children.

The book also includes a great and accessible introduction to Buddhism, including an overview of The Four Noble Truths, The Eightfold Path, and The Five Precepts. It offers suggestions for how to discuss the stories with your children, and guidelines for introducing some age-appropriate relaxation and meditation techniques. The book includes 20 stories, meant to be read aloud to children ages 4-10, but I think independent readers on the upper end of that spectrum or even older would enjoy reading them themselves.

Overall, Buddha at Bedtime is a beautiful addition to any bedtime collection, and one that would probably stay a favorite in any household for many years.

a great book to share with your kids a bedtime. all stories about how to be wise& thoughtful. the illustations are great, too.

This book became an instant favorite. From the way each story begins (with a 'teaser' and an admonition to be still & listen) through the beautiful descriptive prose to the Buddha's remarks at the end of each story, my kids are spellbound every night. I've found my son asking halfway through the story "What does the Buddha say?" These stories really engage his consciousness and that of my daughter.

It is said the best way for practicing Buddhists to instill in their children the values shared by Buddhists is to show them every day (not tell or preach to them) the real benefits of living the dharma. A book like this will help your kids understand the dharma, how real people can live its lessons successfully, and what some of the benefits of that Way of living are. Far from preachy and admonitory, Buddha At Bedtime illuminates a way forward for kids in a world where so many influences compete for their attention.

I bought this for my 3 year old daughter and she loves the book. The stories are a quite a bit longer than her normal picture book and pictures are, in fact, limited. This hasn't been a problem with my daughter. There is one large picture at the beginning of each story and they are really beautiful. My daughter and I usually read the story and then go back to the picture to talk about the story and what the picture is showing us. My mother also fell in love with this book on a visit. She read a few stories to my daughter and then proceeded to buy out Amazon's stock to give as gifts to everyone she knows. She even bought a copy for my brother in case he ever has a child. haha! It is a wonderful book with wonderful, thoughtful stories. My daughter and I always try to take the "lesson" of the story and apply it to our own experiences.

This is my favorite book to read to my children and they love hearing the stories and are understanding the themes which is all I could hope for. Everything has been said in the reviews and the publishers description nails it. If you are interested in this book go ahead an get it, you'll be glad you did.

I recently bought "Buddha at Bedtime" in my effort to give my son examples of mindfulness and happiness and share gentle teachings without being preachy. He has been delighted with the stories and illustrations in this book.

We skip the sentence at the beginning, "Shall we find out? Let's see!" - it feels a bit condescending to me and unnecessary to the story. And if I even try to read the moral at the end, my son (who is 5) will say, "Mama, stop it," because even he feels it becomes too preachy. (As do I. Kids are smarter than that - they don't need a moral summed up for them in my experience - they get it.) But the rest of it - the stories and the illustrations - are wonderful. My son has been asking exclusively for this book every bedtime since we began reading it - and usually we have three different books. So that's really saying something!

This is a great collection of stories that teach goodness. A wonderful element to our night time readings. My 4 year old little girl loves this book and can't go to sleep without reading a story or two from it. Absolutely wonderful.