Little Sid: The Tiny Prince Who Became Buddha

by Ian Lendler, Xanthe Bouma (Illustrator)

Overview

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.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781626726369
Publisher:	First Second
Publication date:	01/23/2018
Pages:	40
Product dimensions:	8.60(w) x 11.20(h) x 0.20(d)
Age Range:	4 - 8 Years

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.

Editorial Reviews

"Whether used as a folktale, a conversation starter about core values, or even as an introduction to Buddhism in a unit on world religions, kids will respond to Sid’s sympathetic cartoon persona, his irreverent asides, and his quest. This is a good choice for sharing either one-on-one or during storytime."—Booklist

From the Publisher

01/01/2018
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

School Library Journal

2017-10-10
Little princeling Sid leaves the palace seeking what he lacks.Brown-skinned Little Sid's just a normal kid except that his parents are the king and queen. Every moment they surround him with fun and entertainment, but Sid's not happy. He wants to spend time with his busy parents. Giving up on them, he sets out one day to find happiness in the world and hears of three wise ones who live on a mountain. Sid first meets a man who tells him his unhappiness will pass. He then meets a woman who makes him think about perception. Finally, while hanging precariously from a cliff's edge, he meets a mouse who teaches him to value each moment. He walks down the mountain, happy and changed. He gives away his possessions and forces his parents to share a moment with him. Bouma's illustrations are bright and expressive, but, as an introduction to the life and eventual teachings of Siddhartha Gautama, Lendler's tale is a facile misrepresentation of the Buddha's story. Siddhartha's father was present in his life, and his mother died shortly after his birth. The historical "Sid" was never allowed out of the palace as a child. Buddhist families may recognize Buddhist teachings but might react to it the way Christian families would to a picture book of Jesus pulling loaves and fishes from his swaddling clothes and climbing on a cross while still in the manger. The three-paragraph note about the real Buddha at the close does not mitigate what's gone before.Skip. (Picture book. 5-10)

Kirkus Reviews