[Click To Enlarge]
Email A Friend - Gift Reminder |
The Three Questions [Based on a story by Leo Tolstoy]
Availability:
In Stock
Price:
$17.99
$10.29*
|
| Part No: | 0439199964 |
| Manufacturer: | Scholastic Press |
| MFG Part: | |
| Customer Rating: | 5.0 / 5.0 |
|
|
Nikolai is a boy who believes that if he can find the answers to his three questions, he will always know how to be a good person. His friends--a heron, a monkey, and a dog--try to help, but to no avail, so he asks Leo, the wise old turtle. "When is the best time to do things? Who is the most important one? What is the right thing to do?" Leo doesn't answer directly, but by the end of Nikolai's visit, the boy has discovered the answers himself.
Award-winning illustrator Jon J Muth's lovely watercolors are the most appealing aspect of this book about compassion and living in the moment. The simple Zen-based profundity of the boy's philosophical exploration may escape young readers, but they will enjoy the tale of a child who, in doing good deeds (for a panda and her baby, no less!), finds inner peace. Muth based his story on a short story of the same title by Leo Tolstoy. (Ages 5 to 9) --Emilie Coulter
What is the best time to do things? Who is the most important one? What is the right thing to do? Nikolai knows that he wants to be the best person he can be, but often he is unsure if he is doing the right thing. So he goes to ask Leo, the wise turtle. When he arrives, the turtle is struggling to dig in his garden, and Nikolai rushes to help him. As he finishes work, a violent storm rolls in. Nikolai runs for Leo's cottage, but on his way, he hears cries for help from an injured panda. Nikolai brings her in from the cold, and then rushes back outside to rescue her baby too.
| Highly Recommend it! | 2010-01-30 | 5 / 5 |
|
| I love this book - the message is beautiful! It is a beautiful spiritual lesson for children and a wonderful reminder for adults. |
| My favorite to read to my daughter | 2010-01-07 | 5 / 5 |
|
| I love reading this story to my daughter. There is a sense of humor that is spun into this story that is enticing to children. The story is wholesome and realistic and captures thought provoking concepts that are simple to ponder while admiring the artistic presentation of an imaginative place. |
| Great Way to Discuss Ethics and Mindfulness With Your Kids | 2010-01-04 | 5 / 5 |
|
I'm a fan of Muth's other children's books, Zen Ties and Zen Shorts, but somehow had missed this one until a friend gave it to my kids recently. As other reviewers have already covered, it's based on a short story by Tolstoy, and is about a young boy who is struggling to find the answer to three questions that he thinks are the key to behaving rightly in the world. The story and 'moral' are gently presented, and didn't turn my kids (who are suspicious of any book trying to 'teach' them something) off. As in all Muth's books, the pictures, especially of the animals and nature, are lovely and dreamy.
Although Muth's other books have 'Zen' in the title, none of them, including this one, are really Buddhist in a religious or exclusionary sense. The answers to the three questions given here are really about caring and mindfulness in the present moment - themes that might be said to be the heart of ethical behavior for anyone of any religion or philosophy, or none. For me, it was a wonderful way to talk with my kids about how acting rightly or with integrity has more to do with paying attention and being kind then following a proscribed set of rules. If you want a way to open that discussion with your own kids too, this is a great way to do it. Really a beautiful book all the way around. |
| The three Questions | 2009-12-23 | 5 / 5 |
|
| The book came in a short time and was in excellent condition for gift giving! |
| such a wonderful book | 2009-12-21 | 5 / 5 |
|
| Love to gift this book to my young and young at heart friends. Beautiful message to be present in the moment and to take the opportunity to help others. Love the illustrations. |
)
