The Three Questions (Hardcover)

~ (Author) "There once was a boy named Nikolai who sometimes felt uncertain about the right way to act..." (more)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Nikolai is a boy who believes that if he can find the answers to his three questions, he will always know how to be a good person. His friends--a heron, a monkey, and a dog--try to help, but to no avail, so he asks Leo, the wise old turtle. "When is the best time to do things? Who is the most important one? What is the right thing to do?" Leo doesn't answer directly, but by the end of Nikolai's visit, the boy has discovered the answers himself.

Award-winning illustrator Jon J Muth's lovely watercolors are the most appealing aspect of this book about compassion and living in the moment. The simple Zen-based profundity of the boy's philosophical exploration may escape young readers, but they will enjoy the tale of a child who, in doing good deeds (for a panda and her baby, no less!), finds inner peace. Muth based his story on a short story of the same title by Leo Tolstoy. (Ages 5 to 9) --Emilie Coulter

From Publishers Weekly

Muth (Come On, Rain!) recasts a short story by Tolstoy into picture-book format, substituting a boy and his animal friends for the czar and his human companions. Yearning to be a good person, Nikolai asks, "When is the best time to do things? Who is the most important one? What is the right thing to do?" Sonya the heron, Gogol the monkey and Pushkin the dog offer their opinions, but their answers do not satisfy Nikolai. He visits Leo, an old turtle who lives in the mountains. While there, he helps Leo with his garden and rescues an injured panda and her cub, and in so doing, finds the answers he seeks. As Leo explains, "There is only one important time, and that time is now. The most important one is always the one you are with. And the most important thing is to do good for the one who is standing at your side." Moral without being moralistic, the tale sends a simple and direct message unfreighted by pomp or pedantry. Muth's art is as carefully distilled as his prose. A series of misty, evocative watercolors in muted tones suggests the figures and their changing relationships to the landscape. Judicious flashes of color quicken the compositions, as in the red of Nikolai's kite (the kite, released at the end, takes on symbolic value). An afterword describes Tolstoy and his work. Ages 6-up.
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 4-8
  
• Hardcover: 32 pages
• Publisher: Scholastic Press; 1 edition (April 1, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0439199964
• ISBN-13: 978-0439199964
• Product Dimensions: 12.1 x 10 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (67 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #4,566 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

85 of 89 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars "This Is Why We Are Here", May 28, 2002

By	Roz Levine (Virginia) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)

"There was once a boy named Nikolai who sometimes felt uncertain about the right way to act..." He wanted to be a good person, but was unsure how to accomplish his goal. Nikolai had three important questions...When is the best time to do things? Who is the most important one? What is the right thing to do? "If only I could find the answers to my three questions... then I would always know what to do." So he decides to seek the counsel of Leo, the turtle. "He has lived a very long time. Surely he will know the answers I am looking for." But as he reaches Leo's home, high in the mountains, disaster strikes, and without even thinking Nikolai takes action, and in the process finds the answers he's been searching for..... Based on Leo Tolstoy's short story, Jon Muth has authored a reflective and inspired picture book retelling of The Three Questions. His simple and eloquent text, with its gentle message of compassion and living for each moment, is enhanced by lovely and evocative watercolor artwork in quiet and subdued tones. Together word and art answer Nikolai's questions in a captivating and engaging way..."Remember then that there is only one important time, and that time is now. The most important one is always the one you are with. And the most important thing is to do good for the one who is standing at your side. For these, my dear boy, are the answers to what is most important in this world." With an Author's Note at the end to augment the story and introduce Tolstoy and his works, The Three Questions is a perfect fable for youngsters 5-9, and is sure to open interesting and thoughtful discussions.

29 of 31 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Questions, Questions, Questions, February 14, 2005

By	M. Swinney "Marc My Words" (Flower Mound, TX) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

What is the best time to do things? Who is the most important ones? What is the right thing to do? So I hope that doesn't give it away for you, but that's the book's central search...a boy Nikolai, his three friends Sonya the Heron, Gogol the Monkey, Pushkin the Dog, and the final answers are facilitated by Leo the wise Turtle. The watercolor art is the true gem in this book and the Zen-exercise in the meaning of life takes a close second.

"The Three Questions," is currently my two year old's nightly request...although he sometimes asks for the three questions and sometimes ask for the "Nikolai" book. The writing is really to engage children of older ages but something about the characters, language, and pictures connect with children and adults of all ages.

The esoteric Zen exercise may seem a little off-putting or prententious to some, but it gets kids thinking about morality and ethics at an early age. It gets kids thinking about what is the best approach to life and an approach to be mindful about the present and others.

A wonderful wonderful book with beautiful art throughout. This one comes recommended as a magical treatise on thinking about life.
--MMW

16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Beautiful book: images and story, April 11, 2002

By	"shihtzux" (Forest Park, IL United States) - See all my reviews

This is a beautiful and very touching book with a special message of love, compassion and introspection. These themes could be deep for a child but they are conveyed with characters and images that captivate and draw in the reader, whether young and old. The story is very touching and nurturing and the themes are ones that a person is never to young to be introduced to. I collect children's books and count this one among one of my favorites.