Customer Reviews

Buddha

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This book tells the story of Buddha so clearly and precisely that it taught me a lot that I previously didn't know or understand. I am hoping to share this book with my students during the Buddhist New Year in April.

I am a little frustrated with this book because I think it glosses over the most important areas - discussion about the four encounters and the four noble truths is kept to one page, however his birth and childhood have 5? I'm all for stories that add some personal interest, but I think that they need to add some of the meat too, and this story is a little too light on actual Buddhism for my tastes. This book would probably be fine as an introduction to Buddhism for children who haven't had any experience with it, but for Buddhist children who are already familiar with the basic outline of the Buddha's life, it doesn't add much.

Demi's books are wonderfully illustrated with vibrant colors and gold ink. I was very pleased and would recommend this and Buddha Stories highly. (great gift)

How do you write a children's book about a subject that is simple and profound at the same time?

Demi has successfully achieved this balance and delivered a wonderfully written and elegantly illustrated book about Buddha.

One of the things I like about non-fiction children's books is that a complex subject has to be made simple for young readers. And the illustrations have to support the words well.

A book like Buddha allows you to get to know this subject in 30 to 40 very enjoyable pages all within an hour. This is one reason why I read children's books like Buddha.

When I wrote my children's book "A Musical Journey" and faced the challenge of presenting China's diverse land and people to young readers in 32 pages, Buddha was one of the books I referred to.

Children's books are definitely not for kids only! Highly recommended.

Nice pictures. Nice content about the factual basis on which Buddhism is founded...i.e. who is Buddha. It can be broken up into chunks for bed time reading pretty easily, else it has about 45 minutes worth of text (and discussion), which tends to be a little longer of a commitment for one bedtime reading. My 5 year old is old enough to understand the concept of Jesus, where he came from and who he is. This book serves well to teach him the concept of Buddha, where he came from and who he is. I am on a quest to teach my children the variety of spiritual basis in our world and this book is a nice addition to that collection.

This book is beautifully illustrated. I bought it hoping to find a simple re-telling of Buddha's life for my 5 year old. This book is not appropriate for small children. One of the pictures showed someone who tried to harm Buddha being tied up and dragged away by demons. The book also includes the story of a woman who came to Buddha asking for help, holding her dead child in her arms.
I believe that older children, particularly those who already have some knowledge of Buddhism, would enjoy this book.
This book was too scary for bedtime reading with a 5 year old!