TIBETAN TALES FOR LITTLE BUDDHAS
By Naomi Rose
58 full-color illustrations including 30 full-page paintings
64 pages, 12 x 8-1/2
ISBN: 1574160818
(cloth) $19.95
Bilingual in English and Tibetan

WINNER OF 2005 NAUTILUS AWARD: BEST CHILDREN'S ILLUSTRATED BOOK
Created and produced by Marilyn McGuire & Associates and sponsored and hosted by Body & Soul Magazine, the 2005 Nautilus Book Awards recognized and honored books published in the year 2004 that contribute significantly to conscious living and positive social change. This is a unique book award, recognizing authors and titles that contribute to our society’s awareness and embrace of spiritual and ecological values such as compassion, sustainability, simplicity, and global peace.
     In announcing the award for Tibetan Tales for Little Buddhas, the Nautilus Awards web site had this to say about the book: “Three charmingly translated tales feature young Tibetans living in a remote mountainous region where their Buddhist philosophy permeates all of their experience. Balanced and magical at the same time, the tales teach compassionate responsibility for all of life-- including a yeti. The author’s vibrant acrylic and pastel illustrations richly reinforce simple yet profound teachings. As the Dalai Lama writes in the Foreword, this book ‘…will bring joy to readers young and old.’”

“Young children will surely find this charming, colorful book attractive. In it she retells simple stories that were once told in Tibet that children anywhere will find fun to read. Because the stories are set in Tibet, readers in other lands will naturally become aware of the existence of our country and of the values that we hold dear.
     "I congratulate the author on her efforts and hope that books like this may serve as examples for others in their clarity, simplicity and charming appeal to children. I am sure it will bring joy to readers young and old." (His Holiness the Dalai Lama)

“Tibetan Tales for Little Buddhas is one of the most beautiful books I’ve ever seen…Teaching children the art of wisdom is not easy, but this priceless treasure of a book does just that, and does it wonderfully.” (BookIdeas.com)

“An artist and student of Tibetan Buddhism, Rose has chosen and illustrated three traditional tales that exemplify Tibetan Buddhist beliefs. In the first selection, a boy learns not to judge events as “good fortune or bad”; in the second, a downtrodden young girl encounters a goddess and absorbs her strength; and in the last, a young monk learns to overcome his fears and practice “loving kindness” when he encounters a wounded Yeti. The stories, printed in both English and Tibetan, are certainly purposeful, and their source (Lama Surya Das’ 1992 book The Snow Lion’s Turquoise Mane) is mentioned only in the flap copy, but children will enjoy the exciting fairy-tale elements: the cruel parents, the shape-shifting creatures, the magic, the action, and the empowered young people who emerge from each story. Rose’s vibrantly colored paintings, created with broad, blurry strokes and dabs of pigment, ably bring to life the characters, setting, and supernatural encounters.” – (Booklist)

“An impetuous boy begins to realize the wisdom in his father’s peaceful reserve; a girl learns to see the beauty hidden behind superficial ugliness; a young man is compelled to practice compassion toward someone he had feared. These themes reflect familiar truths of human experience, comfortable to modern American readers. But in this volume, the three stories that convey these themes are set half a world away, in the villages of Tibet. The details of place, character, and occupation, of spoken and written language, bring this far-off culture closer to American children.
     "Although both text and illustrations are occasionally awkward and unpolished, the content of the stories compensates amply. In the first, “Yeshi’s Luck,” a boy and his father are tossed about by fate. Through good fortune and bad, the father retains his equanimity, chanting, “Om mani padme hung,” an appeal to loving kindness in the face of all things. Good and bad are not always as they seem in this story, and as the shifting map of cause and effect unfolds, Yeshi comes to understand his father’s perspective of acceptance. The second tale, “Jomo and the Dakini Queen,” is at first reminiscent of Cinderella: an unloved, overworked girl fears the angry aunt who is her taskmaster. Instead of being saved by a fairy godmother who takes her away from her tormentors, however, this girl finds a magical mentor who teaches her to transform anger and ugliness. “Cast your fear aside—open your heart wide,” the goddess counsels the girl.
     "Finally, in “Chunda’s Wisdom Quest,” a young man sets off on the archetypal journey in search of enlightenment. Spraining his ankle, he believes his search to be stalled. But as he waits for healing, he discovers a wounded beast, and must choose between fear for himself and compassion for another. His Holiness, the Dalai Lama, provides a foreword to this volume, in which he expresses his hopes for the difference that this book may make in the hearts of children around the world.
     "The author is an established visual artist who has created many graceful paintings depicting the rainforest and the human values to be learned there. In this, her first children’s book, her paintings generously adorn the sensitively translated text. But it is the graceful, exotic script of the Tibetan words at the bottom of each page that provides the most compelling illustrations for these stories, which will give American children a charming introduction to the culture and values of traditional Tibet.” ( ForeWord)

“Featuring a brief foreword by His Holiness the Dalai Lama, Tibetan Tales For Little Buddhas is both an engaging children's picturebook and a fascinating introduction to another culture. The three tales, "Yeshi's Luck", "Jomo and the Dakini Queen", and "Chunda's Wisdom Quest" are presented in Tibetan and English. Warm color illustrations help display a picture of Tibetan daily life in this un ique folklore treasury recommended for family, school, and community library collections. Tibetan Tales For Little Buddhas will prove to be as enjoyable for parents as it is for their little ones.” (Midwest Book Review)

“What a treasure is Tibetan Tales. for Little Buddhas! This book is sure to become a classic, offering its timeless wisdom in three traditional Tibetan tales, accompanied by finely rendered, evocative art. As a bonus, the tales are translated into the Tibetan language, ensuring its popularity in this community where many refugee Tibetan families live.
     "Each of the stories has been adapted from native Tibetan folklore, with the intention of translating traditional cultural wisdom. and values for children. The book includes a map of Tibet, a glossary and a description of a popular Tibetan chant that is featured in one of the stories, “Yeshi’s Luck.” “Yeshi’s Luck” imparts a lesson that seems to be about fate, but ultimately teaches that one cannot know what life has in store and what seems like bad luck today could prove to be good luck in time. Yeshi is a young boy who goes in search of his lost horse and discovers many surprising truths along the way.
     "The theme of “Jomo and the Dakini Queen” deals .with fear and how to overcome it. Jomo, a young girl with many chores and responsibilities, never manages to please her Aunt Peta, it seems. As. she goes about her work with the yaks in the meadow, she encounters something scary and miraculous, echoing the sentiment in another classic of children’s literature, The Little Prince: “What is essential is invisible; it is only with the heart that one sees rightly.”
     "In the story of “Chunda’s Wisdom Quest,” a yeti plays an important role. The glossary tells us that a yeti is the Himalayan version of Bigfoot, that yetis were a protected species until 1958, and that sightings are still reported. Chunda, a young monk, learns one of the most valuable lessons life can teach about helping others, even when it seems to mean self-sacrifice.
     "The title of the book takes on added meaning when one has read and understood the tales—and realizes that the Buddha, according to the book’s glossary, is “one who has attained universal wisdom, compassion and peace.”
     "Naomi Rose, now a Santa Fe resident, has been a student of Tibetan culture for more than 10 years and was encouraged in this creative project by one of her teachers. Tibetan Tales for Little Buddhas is her first children’s book. Her artwork adds to our understanding of how Tibetan families live, eat and clothe themselves in a part of the world that is as astounding in its beauty as in its harsh living conditions. Rose reports the difficulty in finding a publisher for the book, and it was only after she sent a draft copy to the Dalai Lama that events began to unfold that brought her to Clear Light Publishing in Santa Fe. One of those events was the Sept. 11 attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. A week after that national tragedy, Rose sent an e-mail to her Tibetan contact in Dharmsala, pointing out that a book like this might be needed even more than before. A few days later, she received a fax from the Dalai Lama, with a foreword to the book, endorsing it. Still more time elapsed before she connected with Marcia Keegan and Harmon Houghton at Clear Light, who, she later learned, were friends of the Dalai Lama. This sequence of events seems to reinforce the lesson of “Yeshi’s Luck.” In the foreword by The Dalai Lama, the esteemed leader emphasizes the value of education in helping people lead happier lives and over coming problems.
     “I believe that reading books is an essential part of education,” he says. “I am sure that these stories will bring joy to readers young and old.” (Santa Fe New Mexican)

“Another book highlighting a foreign culture is Tibetan Tales for Little Buddhas by Naomi C. Rose with an introduction by the Dalai Lama (Clear Light; 64-pages; $16.95; ages 7-up). In this colorful picture book, three folktales, printed in both English and Tibetan, offer gentle spiritual lessons and stories of adventure, including yaks, a yeti and a mystical creature that turns into a radiant woman. Rose’s vivid color paintings draw the reader in and move the stories along.” (San Francisco Chronicle)

“There are lots of different things to like about Naomi Rose’s Tibetan Tales for Little Buddhas. First of all, it is a pleasure to look at. The vibrant, impressionistic paintings that fill the book invite the reader to enter a dreamworld Tibetan landscape. Himalayan yak herders, pious villagers, charming Tibetan maidens and a frightening beast that transforms into an exotically beautiful Dakini Queen are just some of the characters populating this vision, and the three tales of love, devotion, courage and simple wisdom that make up this collection are sure to touch the hearts of readers young and old. Those familiar with Androcles and the Lion will be intrigued by the Tibetan version of this story, in which the part of the lion is played by a yeti, the Abominable Snowman himself. This book also contains a foreword by His Holiness the Dalai Lama, a map of Tibet, the six-syllable mantra of compassion, and the Tibetan version of the English text on each page. A rich collection indeed!” (Shambhala Sun)

This 64-page children’s picture book is a collection of three charming stories from Tibet. Each engaging tale entertains with mystical beings and an enchanting glimpse into Tibetan culture. Beautiful impressionistic paintings capture the essence of the Tibetan people and landscape. Young and old will enjoy these fun and thoughtful tales. Includes a foreword from His Holiness the Dalai Lamas as well as a map of Tibet, a glossary of Tibetan terms, a description of a traditional Tibetan chant, and the Tibetan translation of each story.

About the author: Led to Tibetan Buddhism by a nighttime dream, Naomi Rose has immersed herself in Tibetan culture and wisdom for more than ten years. One of her teachers, Lama Surya Das, suggested she create children’s stories from his book of Tibetan tales, The Snow Lion’s Turquoise Mane. Thus the idea for Tibetan Tales for Little Buddhas was born.

Rose’s paintings have been shown throughout the Pacific Northwest. She continues to devote much of her writing and artistic talents to Tibetan themes.

To purchase prints or original paintings visit Rose’s Web site (www.naomicrose.com). She donates a percentage of her proceeds to benefit Tibetan refugee children through the Art Refuge Program.

BILINGUAL in English and Tibetan