When a monkey rushes into a cave to seek shelter from the rain, he finds it already crowded with other animals: a lion, a jackal, a turtle and a dove. The animals begin to bicker until a small stone statue of Buddha suddenly speaks to them, telling stories of his past lives. Each of the six Jataka tales he tells them is somehow related to the various animals sharing the same cave and each one has a strong moral lesson about tolerance, truthfulness, generosity, or endurance. Taken as a whole, the overall message of these tales is of compassion, and by the time the rain lets up, each of the animals is feeling far more friendly toward the others. The distinctive linocut illustrations appear in black and white to show the cave scenes and in full color to illustrate the stories themselves. (Ages 4-8)

A colorful introduction to Buddhist fables

A monkey, caught in a monsoon, finds shelter in a cave amid the rubble of a temple. The monkey is not alone. A lion, a jackal, a turtle, and a dove bicker in the cramped space, until a statue of Buddha comes to life. "Hush, children, hush." Buddha says. "I will tell you a story to pass the time." From the tale of the clever monkey outwitting a hungry crocodile to that of a bird and turtle rescuing a friend, the six amusing parables told by the Buddha will introduce young readers to the famous cycle of fables in Buddhist literature known as the Jatakas, or birth stories, which Buddha originally told to his disciples to illustrate his teachings. Joined with stunning linocut illustrations, Jeanne M. Lee's I Once Was a Monkey form a book notable for both its beauty and its wisdom.