My Friend Tara: And Her Rainbow of Compassion

Gather around Druk the Dragon as he introduces kids (ages to 5–9) to Tara, a goddess of compassion in both Hindu and Buddhist traditions, and reveals the colorful forms she takes to ease suffering and help all beings, large and small!

The great goddess Tara manifests in a variety forms and colors to help alleviate the suffering of those who think of her. A deity of compassion in both Hindu and Buddhist traditions, she creates a safe place to learn, increase patience, protect friends and family, end natural disasters, help crops grow, and more. She is always ready to spring into action for the benefit of the world. This book introduces how she came to be and explains the different forms she takes. 

Druk the Dragon is our lovable narrator who makes the introduction to his friend Tara friendly and accessible. He explains the rainbow of her talents that kids can picture when they need her help manifesting special qualities:  

• White for calm and peacefulness 
• Yellow for positive richness like patience, confidence, and love 
• Red for health and happiness 
• Blue to clear difficult emotions 
• Green for protection and compassionate action 

The book includes a heartfelt author’s note that explains how we can all be like Tara by emanating her vow to reduce suffering in the world. It concludes with a short, guided meditation that kids can practice with a mantra to summon the compassion of Tara.

LASHA MUTUAL is an artist whose deep commitment to Buddhist theory and practice has suffused her artistic expression, giving rise to a body of work that blends the action of painting with a meditative sense of contemplation and focus. Lasha’s intention is to cultivate a generous, peaceful, and clear mind that becomes manifest in her artwork and that can be shared with others. She lives with her husband, son, and abundance of pets in a little yellow brick cottage in Stratford, Ontario, Canada. https://lashamutual.com/  

IVAN BERCHOLZ, publisher of Bala Kids and co-owner of Shambhala Publications, Inc., is a lifelong Buddhist practitioner and longtime educator. He has a deep passion for making traditional Buddhist subjects and practices accessible and relatable to young folks. Ivan lives in Boulder, Colorado, where he enjoys making jokes with his nephews, gathering people to meditate, wandering in the woods, and making chitchat at his local coffee shop.