ALA Booklist (Mon Mar 01 00:00:00 CST 1999)

In a sort of story-within-a-story form, Lee presents six short Jatakas, or birth stories, drawn from Buddhist literature. A lost young monkey enters a cave, stepping on, tripping over, or bumping into the animals that got there before him. While the larger animals complain, the statue of Buddha, with whom the creatures share the cave, begins to talk, recounting tales about experiences that occurred during his previous lives--when he was a forest sprite, a willow tree, a monkey, a lion, a dove, and an antelope. The stories seem to help the animals put aside their hunger, impatience, and fear. The appealing character of the monkey will pull children into the tales, which convey lessons in a direct yet gentle way that is never preachy. The accompanying linocut illustrations are lovely. Source notes are contained in an afterword. (Reviewed March 15, 1999)

Kirkus Reviews

A book of the basic teachings of Buddha, presented through a collection of six classic, simple tales. When a monkey takes refuge from a monsoon in a cave, he happens upon a group of bickering animals—a monkey, lion, turtle, jackal, and dove. Before the fighting becomes too fierce, a small statue of Buddha begins to glow in the darkest corner. To pass the time—and to stop the fighting—wise Buddha spins enlightening stories of tolerance, endurance, sagacity, truthfulness, kindness, and clarity. Buddha recounts his past lives in many forms—from monkey to pigeon to willow tree—to his captive listeners. Such straightforward yet profound tales combine with the art and design for an example of bookmaking that is aesthetically pleasing in every way. Color-washed linoprints cleverly distinguish the stories from the black-and-white narrative frame, while an informative afterword offers brief background detail about Buddha and these six "birth stories" known as Jatakas. (Picture book/folklore. 4-7)

School Library Journal

Gr 2-5-A group of animals, sheltering in a cave from the fierce monsoon rains, hears a small statue of Buddha speak. The six stories he tells calm the beasts and teach them wisdom. Chosen from the hundreds of ancient Jataka tales, the selections are, like many of Aesop's fables, gems of moral philosophy. Lee's retellings not only encapsulate some of the teachings of Buddhism, but also suggest the centrality of Buddha in that religion. Each selection begins with a different incarnation of the Buddha: "I was then a willow tree..."; "I once was a monkey..."; "Long ago, I was born a golden antelope...." The smoothly flowing text shares each page with a bold block print, some in black and white and some with subtle colorings. Both words and pictures are arranged for reading aloud and invite comparison with other beast tales and discussions of Buddhist teachings. Like Demi's Buddha Stories (Holt, 1997), which shares only one tale with Lee's book, these stories will enrich collections of folk literature and parables from the world's religions.-Shirley Wilton, Ocean County College, Toms River, NJ

Starred Review for Publishers Weekly (Thu Apr 28 00:00:00 CDT 2022)

A monkey that takes refuge in the ruins of Buddha's temple during a monsoon sets the stage for these finely honed retellings of six Jatakas, or birth stories. As the monkey's eyes adjust to the light, he discovers he is in the company of a lion, turtle, jackal and dove, and a statue of """"the Enlightened One"""" begins to speak. In each tale, Buddha assumes a different shape to impart his message of peace, attentiveness, tolerance and respect. Lee (The Song of Mu Lan) effortlessly and subtly weaves Buddhist practices and principles into her evenly paced tales. Each story is a study in brevity and restraint yet, like Buddha, conveys enormous empathy. For instance, after a heron, in a deceptive ploy, consumes all the fish in a lake, a crab outwits him then makes his way back to the water, """"weeping all the while for his lost friends."""" Lee draws the frame story in black-and-white, with Buddha in teaching posture and the animals listening attentively. The full-color illustrations for each Jataka combine the strength of woodcuts and the fluidity of Chinese silk painting, with their serene landscapes in soft colors and confident black lines; the full-spread illustration of a lion heading off a stampede of animals bound for danger is especially moving. Fans of Aesop's fables and the Just So Stories will likely find these characters equally as compelling, while others will discover a gentle and graceful introduction to Buddhism here. Ages 5-up. (Apr.)

Horn Book (Sun Aug 01 00:00:00 CDT 1999)

Six Jataka tales are retold here in a plain, conversational style complemented by almost severely simple linocut illustrations. In a framework that connects the tales in a natural manner, the stories are told by a statue of Buddha to a group of animals in a temple seeking shelter from a monsoon. The unabashedly spiritual approach of Lee's retellings of these religious stories--often secularized when adapted--is laudable.