The Prince Who Ran Away: The Story Of Gautama Buddha - Hardcover

Rockwell, Anne

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0679891889 ISBN 13: 9780679891888

Publisher: Knopf Books for Young Readers, 2001

Synopsis

On a night more than two thousand years ago, a prince was born in India. He could have been the most powerful rajah in all the world. But instead, the prince chose to become a common beggar, seeking a way to end the suffering he saw around him. He knew riches could not end suffering. He learned that deprivation could not end suffering. Then, under an enormous spreading fig tree, deep in concentration, he found Enlightenment. He understood Dharma, the law governing all things. He had achieved Nirvana, the peace that triumphs over suffering. And he found this knowledge and understanding inside his own mind, nowhere else. He became the Buddha, and taught his way of ending suffering to all who wished to learn.

About this title

From Publishers Weekly

Amiri's (Babri) traditionally drafted, brilliantly colored Persian miniatures illuminate this retelling of the life of Buddha in every sense of the word. Paintings framed with pools of lotus blossoms and banks of swirling clouds follow the young man born to a rajah and his queen, as he leaves behind a life of wealth and searches for enlightenment. Showing several events in a single panel, Amiri paints the prince leaving his horse and servant, donning yellow robes, and cutting his hair. Later, as he sits under the famous great Bo Tree, he defeats a multicolored army of wild-eyed demons who tempt his resolve, and begins to preach and attract followers. Rockwell's (Only Passing Through) accomplished prose ("His hair was black and shining as the night, and his skin was burnished dark gold like the morning sun") blends factual information with fanciful miracle tales. This multilayered picture book can be read on many levels, as a classic quest by younger readers or as a spiritual text that will spark discussion and reflection for more sophisticated readers. Amiri's paintings serve, like mandalas, as a source of much of its complexity and depth. Ages 7-10.

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal

Gr 2-5-Combining aspects of folklore and biography, Rockwell creates a life of the Buddha. By using traditional elements and eschewing more contemporary historically based investigations, she establishes a smoothly flowing narrative that avoids unanswered questions and the need for a more complete backgrounding in the Hinduism out of which the Buddha came or daily life in ancient India. Because Buddhism is by definition a critical response to Hinduism, there are occasional moments in the book to which Hindus might take exception, but Rockwell does not aim to critique or denigrate Buddhism's parent but rather to present Buddhism as the Buddha might have seen it. Students interested in religion and those prone to ponder why things are as they are will find this an interesting and enlightening introduction to one of the world's chief religions. Amiri's illustrations are bright, expressive, and well keyed to the facing text.

Coop Renner, Moreno Elementary School, El Paso, TX

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

Edition details

• Publisher: Knopf Books for Young Readers
• Publication date: 2001
• ISBN 10: 0679891889
• ISBN 13: 9780679891888
• Binding: Hardcover
• Language: English
• Number of pages: 40
• Illustrator: Amiri Fahimeh