Buddhist Stories for Kids: Jataka Tales of Kindness, Friendship, and Forgiveness

Our temple has an afterschool program & I bought it to donate for the kids there. I have donated many other books, as have many others; some Buddhist, some regular kids books. This one is by far the most popular! It is always, always being read by one of the kids, it is never one of the ones left on the shelf. It's not surprising why: besides timeless stories, the illustrations are beautiful! (I'd upload pics, but I'm reviewing from my house, not the temple where it stays.) I would strongly recommend it to anyone who wants to entertain & educate kids, or learn some of the major Jataka Tales, or both/either.

I love children’s books. What I look for is great illustrations, a great message and the quality of the paper and binding. This book is terrific in each of those aspects. Even the cover has a nice feel. Each of the stories is easy to understand, humorous, and provides an important lesson. I look forward to sharing it with grandchildren ages three, four and nine. The Three-year-old does not rip the pages of books. Best to hold off on getting this book if your child or grandchild is rough with their books. This book is a gem. In a world often moves too fast and does not promote kindness, this book is refreshing.

Easy to understand and visually appealing. It's never too early to begin exposing children to these important values.

Beautiful calming bedtime stories with a good morals and charming pictures. Even Christian kids can learn about honesty, dignity, responsibility and kindness from these stories.

All children love animals and what better way to talk about friendship, kindness, and forgiveness than through stories about animals. The editor, Laura Burges, chose ten Jataka Tales from the 500 tales that were written 100 years ago. She has reinterpreted them with the perfect amount of complexity for children to understand and appreciate. My young grandchildren haven’t tired of me reading the stories over and over again. And at the back of the book my older grandchildren take pleasure reading more about the animals that appear in the stories. What to say about the illustrations by Sonali Zohra. They are exquisite with such an incredible attention to detail. I find something new in them every time I reread a story. The size of the book, 8 x 10, makes it feel manageable to children’s hands. The embossed cover is a sensual delight. As a long time teacher, grandmother and also Buddhist, I highly recommend this book. As the editor says, “please rest in the shade of these stories and take some deep breaths from their teachings.” Although the teachings in the book are geared towards children, we can all take heart in the same lessons.

The stories in this book are delightful! We have been reading this to our daughter over and over. The plots are so unique, the writing is so good, and the themes are universally kind and wise. We love this book! And the illustrations are sumptuous. Everything about this book is excellent. Don't hesitate to get this book for yourself and your loved ones.

My kids and I love these stories. We read one each week and reflect on the moral throughout the week. These are great for character development, exploring ethics, and self-reflection. Great for anyone, regardless of their age, religion, or spiritual practices. Highly recommend! Would be great as a gift, too!

My granddaughter and I both love these stories. They are bewitching tales that teach good lessons about how to be in the world.

I was happy when the book arrived but was terribly disappointed to see the package opened .

Cute stories for kids.

A very beautifully illustrated book! But most importantly, it is a collection of wise and fascinating stories that will be interesting to children!

My baby loves the stories. I think they r really good too.

Very well written. Even my 4 years old enjoy the story despite the lack of images. The story always ends with word of encouragement.