This book is a collection of the most beloved stories, teachings and parables attributed to Gautama Buddha, enlightened teacher and sage who lived and taught in the northeastern part of ancient India. Since the narrative of the Buddha’s life was retold across cultures and across times, it is only natural that the facts mingled with various legends and folk stories, thus creating an invaluable source of wisdom that is not only inspirational, but also utterly entertaining.

Buddhist parables for children.

Around the beginning of the common era, Indian Buddhists began to collect fables, or jataka tales, illuminating various human virtues and foibles—from kindness, cooperation, loyalty and self-discipline on the one hand to greed, pride, foolishness, and treachery on the other. Instead of populating these stories with people, they cast the animals of their immediate environment in the leading roles—which may have given the tales a universal appeal that helped them travel around the world, surfacing in the Middle East as Aesop's fables and in various other guises throughout East and Southeast Asia, Africa, Russia, and Europe. Author and painter Mark McGinnis has collected over forty of these hallowed popular tales and retold them in vividly poetic yet accessible language, their original Buddhist messages firmly intact. Each story is accompanied with a beautifully rendered full-color painting, making this an equally attractive book for children and adults, whether Buddhist or not, who love fine stories about their fellow wise (and foolish) creatures.

Meet a generous merchant's son, an outlaw-turned-monk and more in 13 thought-provoking stories from India, China, Japan and Tibet. Gentle illustrations and an insightful foreword provide context to help young readers grasp the warmth, wisdom and compassion of Buddhist tradition.

A wise and colorful collection of ten Buddhist fables, this modern telling of ancient Indian stories, centering around animals and nature, teaches vibrant and timeless life lessons. (Ages 4-8) Long ago, the Buddha told his followers Jataka Tales, or “birth stories,” about the many lifetimes he lived before he was born as Prince Siddhartha. In this beautiful retelling of ten such stories, the Buddha is introduced as the Queen of the Dogs, a loyal Parrot, a mischievous Monkey, a wise Lion, a brave Forest Owlet, and more. Each story conveys important morals that are short, sweet, and to the point, giving children a handful of useful lessons to apply to their lives, like “Always try to do the right thing, even when no one else is watching.” These tales are brought to life with stunning and dreamlike illustrations by Sonali Zohra (illustrator of Ashoka the Fierce), exploring in vivid detail how one’s actions affect others; the importance of kindness; the strength of friendship; the value of thoughtful decisions; and the importance of letting go and learning to forgive. With a beautiful paper-over-board package to tie it all together, this book will serve as a timeless and treasured offering for both children and adults.

A golden goose demonstrates the wealth of kindness. A rabbit learns not to believe everything he hears. Throughout the ages, moral tales have been passed down from one generation to the next. Centuries ago in China, hundreds of parables were told by the Buddha to his devoted followers. His messages became widespread through fables adapted by famous storytellers like Aesop and La Fontaine. In this collection, the author has chosen ten of the most engaging classic tales from the Buddha's works. Compiled and illustrated by Demi, this wonderful collection of stories is sure to draw young readers into the ancient teachings of the Buddha, teachings that are as relevant today as they were over two thousand years ago.

A king who can't stop thinking about food; a carpenter who spends days, years, decades, working on a single piece of furniture; a disciple who hates his name and other such characters - all of whom turn their life around through Buddha's wisdom. A wonderful collection of stories filled with the wisdom, joy and simplicity that makes the tales of the Buddha so popular world-over. Adapted from the original AMAR CHITRA KATHA Comics into a Chapter Book for the first time!