All The Way to Lhasa: A Tale from Tibet

by Barbara Helen Berger

Known for her luminescent Grandfather Twilight, Barbara Helen Berger brings beauty and power to this memorable parable from Tibet. A young boy and his yak bravely overcome all odds to get to Lhasa, giving a wise and simple message that will inspire children of any age to dream and reach for a shining goal that may seem "very far."

Genres: Picture Books, Buddhism, Childrens, Animals, Fantasy, Asian American, Asia

32 pages, Hardcover

Published September 30, 2002

About the author

Barbara Helen Berger grew up loving to draw and paint. She studied Art at the University of Washington in Seattle, her home town, where she earned a BFA degree in Painting. During her five years of study, she also went to Yale Summer School of Music & Art, and to Tyler School of Art in Rome, Italy. In Italy she saw the art she had loved from childhood, seen in her father's art books at home.

For ten years after college, she worked as a painter with gallery shows in Seattle. Then beginning in 1980 she turned her focus to children's books. She says, “All along, I loved writing too. My secret wish was to bring art and words together in my own books.”

Her first was Animalia, inspired by illuminated manuscripts (Celestial Arts, 1982, re-issued by Tricycle Press, 1999). Then she went on to create the picture books she is known for, including Grandfather Twilight, considered a bedtime classic, The Donkey's Dream, and A Lot of Otters, (all from Philomel Books). She also wrote and illustrated Gwinna, a fairytale in chapters (Philomel, 1990). In All the Way to Lhasa: a Tale from Tibet, she blended her style with the influence of Tibetan art (Philomel, 2002). And in Thunder Bunny, her newest book, she blends her style with the medium of collage (Philomel, 2007).

Berger's books have won awards for both the art and writing: the Golden Kite Award for Picture-Illustration, Parents' Choice Foundation Award for Illustration, the Children's Book Award from Pacific Northwest Booksellers Association, and twice a Washington State Governor's Writers Award. Original paintings from her books have been exhibited around the country. She says, “From beginning to end, the process of creating is still my biggest joy.”

Ms. Berger lives on Bainbridge Island, in the Pacific Northwest. She received the honor of an Island Treasure Award in 2006 from the Bainbridge Island Arts and Humanities Council.

Reviews

[Deb (Readerbuzz) Nance · Rating 3 out of 5]

A man on a horse is on the road to the city of Lhasa. He sees an old woman and asks her how far it is to the city. Very far, she tells him. You will never make it there by evening. The man on the horse speeds on his way. A boy walking with his yak is on the road to Lhasa. He sees an old woman and asks how far it is to the city. She tells him, Very far, but you can make it by night. The boy walks faithfully on. Eventually he comes across a man asleep with his horse on the side of the road, and he wants to stop with the exhausted pair, but he continues on. And he makes it to Lhasa.

A lovely gentle story with lots to teach us all set in Tibet.

[Peacegal · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lovely, dreamlike illustrations depict this traditional story from Tibet, that emphasizes a slow and steady pace and determination to reach one's goal.

Humane families note: The yak in the story is led by a rope attached to a ring stuck through his/her nose. This is very apparent in some of the illustrations, and likely to be noticed and commented upon.

[Anne · Rating 5 out of 5]

CIP: A boy and his yak persevere along the difficult way to the holy city of Lhasa and succeed where others fail.

Review: Gorgeous illustrations, with some subtle images hiding in the clouds and scenery, are lush and rich. The simple re-telling of this Tibetan tale is well-done and will captivate any audience. With a bit of resemblance to the fable of the tortoise and the hare, it does end with the message that if you keep trying, you will succeed at what you try. Includes an authors note at the end.

PW says: "realistically rendered hero in a lyrically stylized landscape"
SLJ says: "well worth the trip"

[Krysta · Rating 4 out of 5]

The story combines a solid moral (slow perseverance will get you to your destination) with beautiful illustrations. The text is quite short, so is good to read in situations where you aren't sure the listeners will settle down for long. Some of the words used, such as "torrents," may need explanation.

[Courtney Angelo · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book shows triumph, hope and willpower. A little boy and his yak are determined to make it to the city of Lhasa. While others fail, they do not. I enjoyed the book because it offers an insight into a culture children are not that familiar with. As an adult, I have learned the sacredness of the city, and it is a big success for the little boy and his yak to make it there. Giving up is not an option.

[Sandy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This tale has beautiful illustrations and few words on a page, making it a decent storytime read-aloud. The story kind of turns the fable of the Tortoise and the Hare on its head - one boy does not make it the holy city of Lhasa because he rode his horse so fast and so hard that they had to stop and rest, but another boy takes the trip more slowly and reaches Lhasa by nightfall.

[Kat · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pretty drawings. I felt like this was a Tibetan "rabbit and the hare". But while I got the point of the Aesop's fable clearly this one was out of my grasp. I'm not sure why the man on the horse is in the story if it is about perseverance when you are trying to reach a personal goal.

[Kasper · Rating 2 out of 5]

Either something got lost in translation or I'm too Western to get it. I don't know, I just didn't find it particularly engaging.

[Abigail · Rating 4 out of 5]

Two young boys head to Llasa in this story based upon a traditional Tibetan parable, one astride his swift horse and the other slowly leading his yak. Both boys encounter an old woman by the side of the road, and ask how far it is to their destination. It is far, the woman tells them, going on to tell the swift rider he will never make it by nightfall, but telling the boy he will reach it that day. How can this be? It must certainly be a lesson about putting one foot in front of another, and carrying on...

Author/illustrator Barbara Helen Berger, the creator of many beautiful children's books, from the fantasy Gwinna , to the gorgeous Christmas picture book, The Donkey's Dream , here takes a parable she heard from Tibetan monk, Lama Tharchin Rinpoche, and turns it into a lovely, contemplative story. The text is simple but engaging, with a deeply satisfying conclusion, while the accompanying artwork, created using acrylic, colored pencil and gouache on watercolor paper, is absolutely gorgeous. I loved the use of color and shape here, to beautifully depict the journey through mountainous Tibet to the holy city of Llasa; I felt myself in accord with the message about steady effort oft-times yielding better results than rushing; and I appreciated the informative afterword from the author, with more information about Tibet. Recommended to young folklore enthusiasts, and to any picture book readers looking for stories with a Tibetan cultural background.

[Nick So'oto · Rating 3 out of 5]

All The Way To Lhasa, A Tale From Tibet is a quick read about the journey a young boy takes to get to the Holy City of Lhasa. The story begins with the boy walking with his Yak, on a long dirt road to the Lhasa when all of a sudden he sees a wise old woman sitting on the side of the road. The boy asks the old woman how far Lhasa is, and she replies, “Very far but you’ll make it there before dark.” The book goes on to tell about the brave young mans perseverance to get to the Holy City. Once he arrives at the Holy City he sees the same Old Woman that was sitting on the side of the road, sitting on clouds in Lhasa.

In my opinion, I thought this was a great book that informs you of another culture. For the most part I liked everything that the Author did in this book, one of the features I enjoyed about the book were the illustrations. The illustrations were colorful, interesting, and popped out at you and just the right time to give you a feeling like you were actually there.

If I were to use this in my classroom it would most likely be to teach my children about a new culture. I would read the book as an introduction into our new lesson, after reading the book I would have the kids look up fun facts about Tibet, and share with the class.

[Luisa Knight · Rating 3 out of 5]

A short story about how slow and steady wins the race.

Ages: 4 - 8

#geography #asia #tibet

**Like my reviews? I also have hundreds of detailed reports that I offer too. These reports give a complete break-down of everything in the book, so you'll know just how clean it is or isn't. I also have Clean Guides (downloadable PDFs) which enable you to clean up your book before reading it! Visit my website: The Book Radar.

[Shannon · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a charming tale I loved as a kid, and now my daughter loves it, too. For a good portion of this year, it was a constant for bedtime reading and travel. As with the other children’s books, I’m counting them to remember what she loved best during these ages, and because much of what would have been my reading time is used to read aloud to her. Also, 200 readings of a short book surely ought to add up to something. 😁

[Amy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Like the tortoise and the hare, a boy & his yak and a young man & his horse try to reach the holy city of Lhasa by nightfall...an old woman predicts who will make it. Very nicely told, great for a group read-aloud! The bright illustrations bring the reader right into the heart of Tibet.

[Beverly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lovely illustrations.

[Nathan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read to John

[Min · Rating 5 out of 5]

Quite beautifully illustrated; story that equates to the Tortoise and the Hare; steady-- one foot in front of the other, no matter how difficult-- one will reach one's destination.

[Ashley Kempkes · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's a tortoise and the hair story.

[Patrice]

BookTree
They liked the story

[Alice · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.50 stars A very interesting story (fable, oral history?) from the People of Tibet!

[Meltha · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a very good example of a true "picturebook," one in which the story and the pictures help to complete each other. The text itself is remarkably simple, a variation on the tortoise and hare story with the rider wearing himself out as the pilgrim leading a yak is able to reach his destination despite the obstacles, eventually coming to Lhasa. It's a classic story for a reason, because it's satisfying. The artwork, though, is what really makes this book stand out. The images have an almost sandy, dream-like quality, and the colors, a mix of rich and pastel tones, draw attention while also being soothing. I did catch the repeated mantra on the stones, and even as someone who doesn't understand the language at all, I could tell the same series of characters was being repeated (which actually led me to guess that it was om mani padme hum as it's the only mantra I know). The image of the boy and his yak laboring through the snow and leaving the mantra as their footprints while the snow leopard watched was particularly beautiful and effective. The gradual warming of colors to gold and pink as Lhasa was finally reached was also very well done. The end notes, which are written at a much higher vocabulary level, did reveal a good amount about the background of the story but would need to be explained slightly differently to a small child, but made for good material. On the whole, this is a very good picturebook.

[S10_Helena · Rating 4 out of 5]

Genre: fiction
Format: picture book
Age level: elementary

This book is a retelling of an oral story about (2) boys on a similar journey. In the story (2) boys are trying to make it to Lhasa before the day is over. Both boys ask an old woman how far the journey is and she also predicts whether they will make it there before the night comes. The old woman predicts that the boy who is moving at a slower pace will make it; however, the boy moving at the faster pace will not.

The tone of the book is very warm and spiritual. The illustrator uses warm and relaxing colors and textures to bring the story to life. The author also provides an insightful note at the end of the book explaining the significance of the journey to Lhasa by the Tibetan people.

This book is just one of the many oral stories told by the Tibetan people. Readers of this book may want to research more of the Tibetan culture and especially inquire about their religious beliefs.

[Jennifer Ha · Rating 5 out of 5]

All the Way to Lhasa was a simple and short folklore book, but it taught a very important moral: persevering. The young boy went through many obstacles, but he kept pushing himself and continuing on his journey to Lhasa. This book would be a great book to read to younger children so that they could get motivated and learn to persevere in their goals. I have observed in classrooms that children tend to give up more easily and quickly on difficult tasks, and I would like for them to persevere and feel accomplished in their successes. This book could be of aid when students are developing their perseverance in different situations. All the Way to Lhasa had a short but meaningful story and beautiful illustrations.

[Mary · Rating 5 out of 5]

This story is inspired by a Tibetian parable. The art includes Tibetan symbols and beautiful pictures.

The author's note at the end of the book is included.

Author website:
http://bhberger.com/

Tibet Sites

http://www.tibet.com/

http://www.tibet.org/

http://www.studentsforafreetibet.org/

http://www.freetibet.org/

http://www.savetibet.org

[Anna · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is cute. I love the imagery and the positive message. It's a great book for introducing middle school students a teeny bit about Tibetan culture, in hopes that they go on to read more about it.

[Aubrey · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beautiful, rich and soft artwork that has a breezy feel to it. A simple story about boy traveling slowly to a holy city in Tibet, in comparison to a traveler who rushes forward. A sort of retelling of the Aesop story with the moral being "slow and steady wins the race."

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

This fable-like story is similar to the Tortoise and the Hare. The lesson is that with slow and steady intention we can achieve. The illustrations are beautiful Nd the story brings peace. Too bad this book went out of print so quickly.

[Liaken · Rating 5 out of 5]

Simple and poetic with marvelous pictures.

[Heather · Rating 5 out of 5]

A retelling of the traditional, "Turtle and the Hare" story, except with a boy and his yak. Beautiful watercolor illustrations. Slow and steady prevails.

[Shannon · Rating 3 out of 5]

Beautiful, soft illustrations.

[Aimee · Rating 3 out of 5]

The art work is gorgeous, the theme similar to the Hare and the Tortoise.