Tenzin's Deer: A Tibetan Tale [Hardcover]

Barbara Soros (Author), Danuta Mayer (Illustrator)

Book Description

Age Level: 7 and up | Grade Level: 2 and up

Barbara Soros tells the story of a young boy named Tenzin and how he comes to care for a wounded musk deer. Drawing on the ancient wisdom of the Tibetan people, this story urges us to listen to our intuition and be courageous in the face of loss. It also offers a simple introduction to the principles of traditional Tibetan medicine.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 3-5-Against an intricately illustrated backdrop of rugged peaks, scrolled clouds, and animals brushed with tiny strokes unfurls a tale of compassion, healing, and the guiding power of dreams. In the mountains of Tibet, a land where harshness meets exquisite beauty, lives Tenzin, a boy who is kind and wise beyond his years. When he finds a wounded musk deer, Jampa, he asks for guidance and he receives it, both from his inner voice (that hears the deer speak) and his dreams. Tenzin learns the art and science of healing through his experience with Jampa. Excessive detail makes this tender, spiritual parable somewhat dense and wordy. Nevertheless, the story flows smoothly. Each complex, gouache landscape is framed with a finely painted border of red with yellow filigree. The paintings are vibrant, expressive, and well suited to the story. While the book is lovely, it will have limited appeal. The afterword discusses compassion, dreams, healing and Buddhism.
Be Astengo, Alachua County Library, Gainesville, FL
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Review

"'This beautifully illustrated story of a young Tibetan boy's efforts to care for a wounded deer aptly reflects the compassionate and caring values pervading Tibetan culture' - His Holiness the Dalai Lama" --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 7 and up
  
• Hardcover: 32 pages
• Publisher: Barefoot Books (March 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1841488119
• ISBN-13: 978-1841488110
• Product Dimensions: 10 x 9.1 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,877,859 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars wonderful, warm, December 17, 2003

By 

Richard Gilbar "ex-librarian, ex-optometrist,... (WA United States) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Tenzin's Deer: A Tibetan Tale (Hardcover)

This wonderful story weaves together many spiritual, ethical and human truths. Unlike the above reviewer, as a practicing Jew, I have absolutely no problems with this book. It is a fabulous story of compassion and openning the heart and spirit to our world. I am a published children's author and am used to discussing books with small people. I had a wonderfully rewarding experience reading this with my 4 1/2 year old daughter. This book is terrific and shows how art can open the heart. The art work itself is also beautiful. I initially borrowed the book from the library and just had to have it. It's only happened once before.

7 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Heartwarmng story, November 19, 2003

By 

K. Smith (La Canada, CA USA) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Tenzin's Deer: A Tibetan Tale (Hardcover)

I thought this might be a bit too old for my 5-year-old, and there are some parts he doesn't "get". But it is a wonderful story of a compassionate boy who cares for a deer, and my son gets that part. As a practicing Christian, I don't agree with everything the books says, but the caring and gentleness of this boy are traits I want my son to identify with. We both love the artwork. The book has been a wonderful opportunity to discuss other countries. I got it from the library originally, but I have bought it to keep.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The gentle color illustrations add the perfect touch to this fable, November 4, 2007

By 

Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Tenzin's Deer (Hardcover)

Tibetan medicine student Barbara Soros presents Tenzin's Deer, a children's picturebook grounded in traditional Tibetan culture. A young boy named Tenzin is born beneath a shining comet, and holds the collective wisdom of many generations within him. He is kind toward both people and animals; when he discovers a wounded musk deer, his compassion leads him to take it home and try to heal it. He names the deer Jampa, "loving kindness"; while he sleeps, a dream reveals to him how to help Jampa get better. As Jampa gradually recovers, Tenzin must learn his most important lesson of all: how to let go of what he loves. The gentle color illustrations add the perfect touch to this fable, which features fairly involved text and is ideal for young readers almost ready to make the transition to chapter books.