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Kindness: A Treasury of Buddhist Wisdom for Children and Parents
Sarah Conover's collection of traditional Buddhist tales leads us to the kind of implicit understanding of ourselves and others that only stories can provide. Following the Buddha through his various transformations, these clarified and often humorous narrative journeys open the ancient master's profound and gentle teachings to persons of all ages, religions, races, and ideological persuasions. Over and over, this marvelous book tells us, "Let go of your anger, your fear, your greedy desire. Embrace gladness. Follow the path." The stories form a wondrous of elephants, monkeys, monks, and men working through foolishness toward wisdom and delight.
163 pages, Paperback
First published October 1, 2000
7 people are currently reading
162 people want to read
About the author
Sarah Conover
11 books79 followersSarah Conover holds a BA in comparative religions from the University of Colorado, and an MFA in creative writing from Eastern Washington University. She has worked as a television producer for PBS and Internews (an international media NGO), a social worker for Catholic Charities, a public school teacher, and taught creative writing through the community colleges of Spokane, Washington. She is the author of six books on world wisdom traditions and spirituality published by Skinner House Books, the educational publishing arm of the Unitarian Universalist Association. Her poetry, essays and interviews have been published in a variety of literary magazines and anthologies. She is a feature writer and columnist for Tricycle Magazine: the Buddhist Review and has taught meditation for many years at Airway Heights Corrections Center and within the Spokane community.
Ms. Conover was a recipient of Washington State’s Grants for Artist’s Projects (GAP grant) and writing fellowships from the Ucross Foundation in Clearmont, Wyoming, and the Willapa Bay Artist Residence Program in Oysterville, Washington. She lives in a condo in Spokane, Washington and in her beloved yurtiverse at the base of the North Cascades in Winthrop, Washington, where she and her husband are building a small hermitage for monastic retreats.
Ms. Conover was a recipient of Washington State’s Grants for Artist’s Projects (GAP grant) and writing fellowships from the Ucross Foundation in Clearmont, Wyoming, and the Willapa Bay Artist Residence Program in Oysterville, Washington. She lives in a condo in Spokane, Washington and in her beloved yurtiverse at the base of the North Cascades in Winthrop, Washington, where she and her husband are building a small hermitage for monastic retreats.
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Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews
March 2, 2018
This is one that’s easier to read in pieces, since it has many short stories/fables, and if I tried to get through too many in one sitting, I would lose focus. But I enjoyed the book and many of the stories. My favorite, or at least the most memorable for me, was the one of the monk who carried his thoughts with him for too long.
March 20, 2021
Kindness is a collection of Buddhist stories and teachings. The closest thing that comes to mind when trying to describe it would be like a book of Aesop's fables. The stories all have a message that the reader is supposed to take away from each of the stories. These are of course all tied to following Buddhism, but even those who aren't Buddhist can take away positive messages from this collection.
The stories range from being only a couple pages long, to more involved stories lasting maybe ten pages or so. This variety can be kind of nice, but it can also be a little frustrating since you don't really know what the next story is going to be. This wasn't a big deal, but did make reading it out loud a little bit of an uneven experience.
I will have to say that of the collection of Buddhist stories we've read, this one is probably the one I liked the best. It had a nice variety of stories from the Buddha and stories from various other monks some of which were outside of the Buddha's homeland of India. I felt this variety was a very nice aspect of the book.
Not being Buddhist some of the setups for the stories are a bit strange to me, like Buddha being various animals in previous lives. Even in these cases the stories they're attached to will give you something positive to think about. So if you're looking for an introduction to some Buddhist stories that kids will also find enjoyable, this is a good place to start. It was one of my favorites of the three or four we read.
The stories range from being only a couple pages long, to more involved stories lasting maybe ten pages or so. This variety can be kind of nice, but it can also be a little frustrating since you don't really know what the next story is going to be. This wasn't a big deal, but did make reading it out loud a little bit of an uneven experience.
I will have to say that of the collection of Buddhist stories we've read, this one is probably the one I liked the best. It had a nice variety of stories from the Buddha and stories from various other monks some of which were outside of the Buddha's homeland of India. I felt this variety was a very nice aspect of the book.
Not being Buddhist some of the setups for the stories are a bit strange to me, like Buddha being various animals in previous lives. Even in these cases the stories they're attached to will give you something positive to think about. So if you're looking for an introduction to some Buddhist stories that kids will also find enjoyable, this is a good place to start. It was one of my favorites of the three or four we read.
May 9, 2008
One of my favorite books! I have bought this book literally 5 or 6 times and each time it gets given away. It's that good.
December 1, 2015
Summarize the book
This sweet book is about 150 pages long and primarily comprised of "Stories and Sayings" -largely fables- from the Buddhist traditions. In the author's "note to young readers", she also gives a brief overview of the Buddha's (Siddhartha Gautama) life. In the preface the author writes, "This anthology is a read-aloud book. In compiling these stories and sayings I hope to reach several different audiences...Finally, this anthology is intended to be a resource for the educator trying to convey more than a textbook sense of Buddhism to K-12 students studying geography, world history, or world religions."
Identify the characteristics from the text that support the specific genre
This collection is identified by the author as including many stories deriving largely from the Jatakas Tales of the Pali canon and she self-describes them as fables (part of the traditional literature genre). Many of the tales, including "The Elephant and the Wind: A Jataka Tale" incorporate the traditional element of animals with human characteristics and super natural characters (a Tree-Sprite in this case).
Identify specific concepts that could be integrated into the classroom.
Clearly this book is designed for integrating cultural and geographical studies as well as helping children build a framework for keeping the goal of "kindness" front and center in their lives.
Offer any other suggestions that would be useful regarding literary content, reading level, and other ways in which the book might be integrated.
Each story is preceded by a saying, for example, "One who accumulates billions and is unable to give it away will be ever poor in the world." These sayings could be posted daily and explored in a brief discussion at the start or close of each day.
This sweet book is about 150 pages long and primarily comprised of "Stories and Sayings" -largely fables- from the Buddhist traditions. In the author's "note to young readers", she also gives a brief overview of the Buddha's (Siddhartha Gautama) life. In the preface the author writes, "This anthology is a read-aloud book. In compiling these stories and sayings I hope to reach several different audiences...Finally, this anthology is intended to be a resource for the educator trying to convey more than a textbook sense of Buddhism to K-12 students studying geography, world history, or world religions."
Identify the characteristics from the text that support the specific genre
This collection is identified by the author as including many stories deriving largely from the Jatakas Tales of the Pali canon and she self-describes them as fables (part of the traditional literature genre). Many of the tales, including "The Elephant and the Wind: A Jataka Tale" incorporate the traditional element of animals with human characteristics and super natural characters (a Tree-Sprite in this case).
Identify specific concepts that could be integrated into the classroom.
Clearly this book is designed for integrating cultural and geographical studies as well as helping children build a framework for keeping the goal of "kindness" front and center in their lives.
Offer any other suggestions that would be useful regarding literary content, reading level, and other ways in which the book might be integrated.
Each story is preceded by a saying, for example, "One who accumulates billions and is unable to give it away will be ever poor in the world." These sayings could be posted daily and explored in a brief discussion at the start or close of each day.
June 15, 2021
I'm impressed by this collection of Buddhist ... almost fairy tales, or more like Aesop's fables. Since I've been studying Buddhist philosophy for 2 years at a meditation center, it was a real joy to recognize a number of the stories from my classes, elaborated upon with wonderful details. I will likely buy a copy for my nephew. I read this after discovering the book Tending the Heart of Virtue: How Classic Stories Awaken the Moral Imagination in Children. It's important to have stories to teach ethics to small people that focus on kindness and a heart brave enough to be good even when the going is tough.
August 22, 2019
A simple kid's book that would do well for all adults to read. Full of tales that illustrate the Buddhist's teachings, it is a wonderful look at what could and should be in our world. The illustrations by Valerie Wahl are beautiful and contribute to the excellence of this book. An amazing read for all.
January 11, 2016
This was a book I found hard to put down. I loved the stories and after reading took time to ponder what I had just read. The sayings were great I went through the book twice just to read and reread them. They were a bit long for my daughter but she loved the illustrations.
November 1, 2008
filled with short quotes and thoughts that are taken from the buddhist philosophy, and can be applied to everyday life. many of the stories had a fairy tale quality.
February 19, 2008
Highly recommend this book for parents and children. My oldest son (almost 6) and I pick up this book from time to time and randomly choose stories to read. We have both really enjoyed it.
June 3, 2012
A delightful collection of tales from various Buddhist traditions written to be read aloud to children. Very well done.
January 27, 2013
My son and I really enjoyed reading this treasury of Buddhist tales. A good bedtime book with morals, although some may be difficult for children to interpret.
June 22, 2018
I enjoyed all the stories. Beautiful artwork.
July 26, 2018
Beautifully illustrated compendium of Buddist-inspired stories. Inspirational.
September 25, 2018
A definite reread.
January 15, 2023
This is a book of bedtime tales for any age. I highly recommend it.
January 18, 2023
Book and illustrations so well done. I was fortunate to get an autographed copy.
November 21, 2025
Since today is World Kindness Day, I thought it would be very appropriate to read a book about kindness.
interesting quotes:
[The 14th Dalai Lama] "My true religion is kindness." (p. ix)
interesting quotes:
[The 14th Dalai Lama] "My true religion is kindness." (p. ix)
June 23, 2011
For Grade 2 main lesson block - Jataka Tales, asian fables.. and overview of world religions throughout year. Will follow the waldorf 3 day outline for: The quarellsome quails, joyful the ox, the dung beetle and the monkey king. (will work one or more into our Math Block (monkey, mango math)
June 13, 2008
It's nice to fall asleep after reading a little parable from this book!
September 27, 2010
It's worth a quick read for the one or two stories that'll stick with you, but it's not going to win any awards for the best storybook of all time.
December 15, 2012
Pretty good, but some of the stories were a little hard to understand for my 7 year old.
July 10, 2022
Recommended by: Adrian
Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews