Children's Books

To me the best way to raise children in any faith is to live the faith yourself. Not just talk about it but really live it and so we strive to live compassionate lives, model generosity and practice kindness. But in all honesty sometimes the words of others are more effective than our own. When I am confounded or troubled I often turn to the Sutras and I realize that it would be nice for my kids to have something similar. So, I started looking for children's books that teach the middle way. We have now read several and each has something wonderful to offer. I am going to quickly recap a few and hope to post another blog in the future with some others.

Buddha at Bedtime by Dharmachari Nagaraja:  This is a series of bedtime length appropriate stories for kids. There are some illustrations but I have found it best to read these myself and then impart them as the "make up a story" time we enjoy before bed. I enjoy the book myself for the writing and the choice of material. This is a good book also for the 8-9 year old reading level so it has a good shelf life for kids as they grow.

Prince Siddhartha: the story of the Buddha by Landaw and Brooke: a retelling of the story in simple language easy for kids to understand. Again there are some illustrations but it's not a picture book and is better used for younger kids as a oral narrative. I like the flow of this book in that it focuses on the big events and puts the enlightenment in terms a child can somewhat understand. Better than I could do by far. My only minus for this book is there is an illustration of Siddhartha emaciated that is a little frightening to younger kids. Just skip that page or do as I did and replace it with another picture.

Moody Cow Meditates and Peaceful Piggies Meditate by Kerry Lee Maclean: This is by far our favorite line in the way of picture books thus far and these are invaluable for introducing children to the concepts of meditation and mindfulness. The story is very easy to relate too for all age groups (including myself) and the illustrations are colorful and fun. There are resources and tips in the back for parents to use these books interactively and we even made a "mindfulness Jar" as described in moody cow for each child. I highly recommend these.

So, this is what we have been reading in our house. As usual I would love recommendations on what we should read next.