Building on the age-old art of storytelling, this beautiful book retells 20 ancient Buddhist tales in a way that will aid relaxation and prepare your child for sleep.

18 illustrated bedtime stories drawn from the Buddhist folk tradition, for parents to read aloud to their children—with inspiring lessons to make their little ones happier and wiser In a series of delightful stories, practicing Buddhist and master storyteller Dharmachari Nagaraja conveys basic life lessons that will help children develop their personality, deal with their anxieties, and find peace and confidence as they grow up. Each story explores themes from the Eightfold Path—Buddhism’s practical route to a happy life—and includes topics such as: • Speaking in a kind and truthful manner • Behaving with compassion • Thinking selflessly and avoiding the pitfalls of egotism. Inside, you’ll also find: • Affirmations that complement the positive message of each story • Superb, specially commissioned illustrations • A helpful introduction on the value of Buddhist principles for kids (and their parents!) Although providing gentle guidance on the art of living well, each story is also compelling in its own right as it introduces characters, settings, and events that will enchant the little ones. With charming illustrations and empowering messages, The Buddha’s Apprentice at Bedtime shows how visualization, imaginative thinking, and even first steps in meditation can help to nurture young minds and hearts.

Calm your child’s mind before bedtime with 18 beautifully illustrated Buddhist stories full of enchanting characters and empowering messages on kindness, compassion, and honesty. Also included: introductory overviews for parents, plus gentle mindfulness meditations to help enhance calm and contentment Growing up in the modern world, our children have to cope with an ever-increasing amount of stress, which can feel worrying to both them and us. The ancient wisdom of Buddhism, with its emphasis on peace, mindfulness and compassion, is the ideal basis for helping any child face these challenges with inner confidence and calm. Building on the age-old art of storytelling, this calming, warm-hearted read-aloud will provide kids with a soothing transition to sleep—while empowering them to think about how they can apply Buddhist values to their own lives. The book includes: • 18 ancient Buddhist tales that are fun and accessible for kids ages 4-8 • Original, full-page illustrations to draw readers into the heart of each story • Key lessons on compassion, patience, honesty, authenticity, and more • Gentle mindfulness meditations for any time of day From the friendship-focused “Percy Wins the Prize” to “The Gentle Dragons”’s central message of kindness and compassion, these stories will transport young readers into imaginary worlds of enlightenment, contentment, and discovery!

Includes "issues index."

Collects eighteen fables from the Jatakas of India.

This colorfully illustrated multicultural children's book presents Indonesian fairy tales and other folk stories--providing insight into a rich oral culture. Set in tropical rainforests, on balmy beaches, and in the remote highlands of the Indonesian islands, Indonesian Children's Favorite Stories offers a taste of how universal values of bravery, cleverness, true love, kindness and loyalty are transmitted to Indonesian children. It make perfect new additions for story time or bedtime reading. Astute princesses, resourceful villagers and daring travelers appear throughout this vast archipelago to tell their stories and charm our children. These beautifully illustrated stories, retold for an international audience, provide children with an insight into the traditional culture, morals and environment of Indonesia. This book is aimed at children in the five to twelve age group, but readers of all ages, young and old, will find much to enjoy within these pages. Featured Indonesian stories include: True Strength The Woodcarver's Love The Buffalo's Victory The Magic Headcloth The Caterpillar Story And many more! The Children's Favorite Stories series was created to share the folktales and legends most beloved by children in the East with young readers of all backgrounds in the West. Other multicultural children's books in this series include: Asian Children's Favorite Stories, Indian Children's Favorite Stories, Japanese Children's Favorite Stories, Singapore Children's Favorite Stories, Filipino Favorite Children's Stories, Favorite Children's Stories from China & Tibet, Chinese Children's Favorite Stories, Korean Children's Favorite Stories, Balinese Children's Favorite Stories, and Vietnamese Children's Favorite Stories.

Around the beginning of the common era, Indian Buddhists began to collect fables, or jataka tales, illuminating various human virtues and foibles—from kindness, cooperation, loyalty and self-discipline on the one hand to greed, pride, foolishness, and treachery on the other. Instead of populating these stories with people, they cast the animals of their immediate environment in the leading roles—which may have given the tales a universal appeal that helped them travel around the world, surfacing in the Middle East as Aesop's fables and in various other guises throughout East and Southeast Asia, Africa, Russia, and Europe. Author and painter Mark McGinnis has collected over forty of these hallowed popular tales and retold them in vividly poetic yet accessible language, their original Buddhist messages firmly intact. Each story is accompanied with a beautifully rendered full-color painting, making this an equally attractive book for children and adults, whether Buddhist or not, who love fine stories about their fellow wise (and foolish) creatures.

Kids use magnetic cut-outs and illustrated scenes to reenact the story of Noah and the ark. This interactive retelling of Noah's story includes four background play scenes for children to complete using the animal and figure magnetic pieces. All pieces are stored in a plastic bubble on the front cover, protected by a sliding back to enable easy storage. Pages include: "One Good Man," "How to Make a Boat," "The Flood is Coming," "Two by Two," "The Rain Comes Down," and "A Great Promise." Includes twenty magnetic cutouts and 4 background playscenes.

Little known fact: Buddhist Monks are amazing at cleaning and tidying. In this one-of-a-kind guide to cleaning your home, Buddhist monk Shoukei Matsumoto reveals how to make your home as spotless as it is tranquil and peaceful. For Buddhist monks cleaning well is a cardinal skill and, in A Monk's Guide to a Clean House and Mind, readers will discover their never-before-shared cleaning pro tips. In the Zen Buddhist tradition, true enlightenment is impossible if your home has even a speck of dust and, as such, Buddhist monks have much to teach us lay people about achieving a truly Zen clean. A Monk's Guide to a Clean House and Mind features charming illustrations and step-by-step instructions on such essential household cleansing tips as: First, Air It Out: Before cleaning anything Monk's first open the temple windows to purify the air and let the crisp morning breeze in. Don't Procrastinate: 'Zengosaidan ' is a Zen expression meaning that one should put all their efforts into each day so they have no regrets. In the context of cleaning, this means don't put off cleaning those dishes you've left in the sink. Remember to Put On Your Samue: Samue robes are worn by Japanese monks when they perform their daily duties of cleaning and looking after the temple. Easy to move in and to wash and care for, they are the perfect cleaning attire. From cleaning up everything from your kitchen sink, toilet, and that pile of unidentified stuff in the corner of your garage to your mind, body, and spirit, this book will guide you in creating a home environment that will calm your thoughts and nourish your soul.

Combining humor, honesty, and plainspoken advice, Momma Zen distills the doubts and frustrations of motherhood into vignettes of Zen wisdom Drawing on her experience as a first-time mother and her years of Zen meditation and study, Karen Miller explores how the daily challenges of parenthood can become the most profound spiritual journey of our lives. Her compelling and wise memoir follows the timeline of early motherhood from pregnancy through toddlerhood. Momma Zen takes readers on a transformative journey, charting a mother’s growth beyond naive expectations and disorientation to finding fulfillment in ordinary tasks, developing greater self-awareness and acceptance—to the gradual discovery of "maternal bliss," a state of abiding happiness and ease that is available to us all. In her gentle and reassuring voice, Karen Miller convinces us that ancient and authentic spiritual lessons can be as familiar as a lullaby, as ordinary as pureed peas, and as frequent as a sleepless night. She offers encouragement for the hard days, consolation for the long haul, and the lightheartedness every new mom needs to face the crooked path of motherhood straight on.