Little Sid: The Tiny Prince Who Became Buddha - Hardcover

Lendler, Ian

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1626726361 ISBN 13: 9781626726369

Publisher: First Second, 2018

Synopsis

In this charming and accessible picture book, Ian Lendler and Xanthe Bouma offer a heart-warming account of the childhood of the Buddha.

A spoiled young prince, Siddhartha got everything he ever asked for, until he asked for what couldn’t be given­―happiness.

Join Little Sid as he sets off on a journey of discovery and encounters mysterious wise-folk, terrifying tigers, and one very annoying mouse.

With Lendler’s delightful prose and Bouma’s lyrical artwork, Little Sid weaves traditional Buddhist fables into a classic new tale of mindfulness, the meaning of life, and an awakening that is as profound today as it was 2,500 years ago.

About this title

About the Author

Ian Lendler is the author of the acclaimed Stratford Zoo graphic novel series and the picture books An Undone Fairy Tale, Saturday, and One Day a Dot. He is at one with the universe, but only when eating pizza. He lives near San Francisco, California.

Xanthe Bouma is an illustrator who has enriched a variety of comics, games, and books with colorful magic, including the graphic novel series 5 Worlds. Having grown up in a Buddhist family, Xanthe finds inspiration in compassion and love.

From School Library Journal

Gr 1–3—Like the real Gautama, "Little Sid" is royal, a detail that is almost the sole point of biographical accuracy in Lendler's text. This version of Siddhartha, saddled with too-busy, seldom-available parents, is overwhelmed with servants' attentions and material excess. Only five candles light his birthday cake, but he openly departs his palace, seeking personal happiness. He doesn't encounter the Four Sights (illness, age, death, asceticism), just a village of ordinary people dealing with ordinary life (work, crying children). He later trades them his material goodies, for a saw. A couple of Wise Ones mention ephemerality and a Zen-like paradox. While in mortal danger he eats a strawberry and "without thinking," declares it "delicious." Now apparently enlightened, he returns, saws a table in half, and egotistically demands that his parents "Be here now" for him. Bouma's dynamic pastel images flow and float across the pages and a final note summarizes the real Siddhartha's life and message. Lendler's take is a jaw-dropping departure from the actual life of the Buddha; readers should seek out Whitney Stewart's Becoming Buddha or Demi's Buddha, both of which offer lively narrative accounts. Jon J. Muth's four "Zen" books also introduce related concepts effectively. VERDICT Collections will want to look elsewhere.—Patricia D. Lothrop, formerly at St. George's School, Newport, RI

Edition details

• Publisher: First Second
• Publication date: 2018
• ISBN 10: 1626726361
• ISBN 13: 9781626726369
• Binding: Hardcover
• Language: English
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 40
• Illustrator: Bouma Xanthe