Guest Author - Samten Tsomo

Buddha
Susan L. Roth

I love the opening line, “Once upon a lotus blossom.” A break from the traditional “Once upon a time” draws you in and makes you want to know what happens.

Buddha is a wonderfully written story of Siddhartha from Queen Maya’s dream while she was pregnant until Siddhartha’s renunciation. This book does a great job pulling even the youngest reader into what Siddhartha felt for the suffering of others. The 4 encounters and the decision Siddhartha makes are written in a way the will engage interest and curiosity without overwhelming a young reader with no prior knowledge of Buddhism.

The text is a bit long for younger children (under 3) but the colorful images are perfect for holding a youngster’s attention. The images alone could tell the story, which is something that I try and look for in books for my 2½ year old. He enjoys “reading” quietly while I meditate and this is a perfect book for that.