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The Show-Off Monkey and Other Taoist Tales
A picture book of Taoist wisdom tales inspired by the ancient philosopher Chang Tzu, for children ages 5-10, beautifully illustrated with original artwork.
“If we are true to who we are, we will naturally find what is right.”
“Beauty is in the eyes and mind of the beholder.”
“What is good in life is not always obvious.”
These morals are inspired by the teachings Taoist philosopher Chuang Tzu (fourth century b.c.e.), who through charming and sometimes cryptic fables explained to his students the qualities of humility, modesty, simplicity, acceptance, and contentment. In “The Sea Turtle and the Frog,” two creatures share their unique perspective on the world. “The Happy Fish” offers a reflection on what makes for a good leader. And “The White Peacock” demonstrates the virtues of a simple life rather than one adorned with material riches.
Beautifully illustrated in the traditional Asian style by artist Mark McGinnis, this book collects thirty-three of these traditional Taoist wisdom tales that will teach readers young and old about the Taoist view of living in harmony with the natural world.
“If we are true to who we are, we will naturally find what is right.”
“Beauty is in the eyes and mind of the beholder.”
“What is good in life is not always obvious.”
These morals are inspired by the teachings Taoist philosopher Chuang Tzu (fourth century b.c.e.), who through charming and sometimes cryptic fables explained to his students the qualities of humility, modesty, simplicity, acceptance, and contentment. In “The Sea Turtle and the Frog,” two creatures share their unique perspective on the world. “The Happy Fish” offers a reflection on what makes for a good leader. And “The White Peacock” demonstrates the virtues of a simple life rather than one adorned with material riches.
Beautifully illustrated in the traditional Asian style by artist Mark McGinnis, this book collects thirty-three of these traditional Taoist wisdom tales that will teach readers young and old about the Taoist view of living in harmony with the natural world.
80 pages, Hardcover
Published August 29, 2017
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
February 6, 2019
A great read! Enjoy this book slowly and savor the words and lessons. Great book that I highly recommend.
February 18, 2024
I'm seeking out a variety of world mythology & fairytales for the kiddos (ages 9 & 7). They have been introduced to Eastern traditions via lovely publications like Bunny Buddhism: Hopping Along the Path to Enlightenment and the Bunjitsu Bunny series, and I was expecting to enjoy this book with them. Unfortunately, having read the first nine tales, I find this publication really off-putting.
The decision to give the students "silly, nonsensical names similar to those Chuang Tzu gave to competing philosophers of the time" started to grate on me after about the second story. It's one thing to call a well-known philosopher "Old Long Ears" (which presumably was based on Lao Tzu's physical characteristics). It's quite another to call the students (who are of little to no consequence to the stories being told here) names like "Soft Chimney," "Porridge Knees," or "Dizzy Kettle." It feels goofy and disdainful, not to mention entirely random; and it distracts from the actual story.
I also find the stories simultaneously preachy and unpolished. For example, even though I'm not a 40-year student of Taoism as the author claims to be, it seems to me that a conclusion like "One is naturally a great person or one is not." is entirely at odds with the morale of that same story: "It is better to nurture our natural talents and abilities than to desire to become something we are not." The entire concept of working continually to deepen our skills (i.e. nurturing our natural talents and abilities), which seems so crucial to Eastern thought and culture, is literally the opposite of "one is naturally a great person or one is not."
The decision to give the students "silly, nonsensical names similar to those Chuang Tzu gave to competing philosophers of the time" started to grate on me after about the second story. It's one thing to call a well-known philosopher "Old Long Ears" (which presumably was based on Lao Tzu's physical characteristics). It's quite another to call the students (who are of little to no consequence to the stories being told here) names like "Soft Chimney," "Porridge Knees," or "Dizzy Kettle." It feels goofy and disdainful, not to mention entirely random; and it distracts from the actual story.
I also find the stories simultaneously preachy and unpolished. For example, even though I'm not a 40-year student of Taoism as the author claims to be, it seems to me that a conclusion like "One is naturally a great person or one is not." is entirely at odds with the morale of that same story: "It is better to nurture our natural talents and abilities than to desire to become something we are not." The entire concept of working continually to deepen our skills (i.e. nurturing our natural talents and abilities), which seems so crucial to Eastern thought and culture, is literally the opposite of "one is naturally a great person or one is not."
April 4, 2021
The Show-Off Monkey and Other Taoist Tales is a collection of short Taoist stories that are almost like little fables or morality stories. They're all very short, I don't think any of them went longer than a page. They also provide the moral to you right at the end of each of the stories.
The book's quality is rather nice. Each story has a unique illustration that is very nice and fits with the theme of the book. The stories are often rather interesting, and many of the morals and values are good. There are stories though that probably require a bit more buy in on the Taoist philosophy that I wound up not liking quite so much. These usually had to do with not using your talents or a view of nature as ideal and peaceful, which I'm not sure really describes the natural world very much.
This was probably the biggest complaint about the book, is that some morals just fell a bit flat, but even these could get some discussion going with my kids. Another potential downside, which we all really enjoyed, were the silly names in each of the story. The author gives his reason for doing this in the preface or introduction and it makes the book rather memorable, even though I could see how the absurd names could distract some or turn them off.
I know that my family wound up enjoying this book on Taoism better than one we read together earlier in the year. It's a very nicely illustrated book and there are some rather intriguing stories within. Even so, it wasn't an absolute favorite as some of the stories just weren't quite as good or were ones that we didn't think worked or were really as true as they were portraying.
The book's quality is rather nice. Each story has a unique illustration that is very nice and fits with the theme of the book. The stories are often rather interesting, and many of the morals and values are good. There are stories though that probably require a bit more buy in on the Taoist philosophy that I wound up not liking quite so much. These usually had to do with not using your talents or a view of nature as ideal and peaceful, which I'm not sure really describes the natural world very much.
This was probably the biggest complaint about the book, is that some morals just fell a bit flat, but even these could get some discussion going with my kids. Another potential downside, which we all really enjoyed, were the silly names in each of the story. The author gives his reason for doing this in the preface or introduction and it makes the book rather memorable, even though I could see how the absurd names could distract some or turn them off.
I know that my family wound up enjoying this book on Taoism better than one we read together earlier in the year. It's a very nicely illustrated book and there are some rather intriguing stories within. Even so, it wasn't an absolute favorite as some of the stories just weren't quite as good or were ones that we didn't think worked or were really as true as they were portraying.
September 15, 2017
What a fun little book! Great drawings, one per parable. They're very short and simple; kids could definitely get a lot out of this. One of my favorite things was how many of the stories could be taken two different ways. If you just read straight through, it's a very quick read; just a thin book with about two to three dozen less than one page stories. Very nicely done.
**I received a free copy of this book in exchange for my unbiased review.**
**I received a free copy of this book in exchange for my unbiased review.**
March 12, 2018
The book has an excellent quality and presentation by Shambala Publications, Inc. The content is exquisite, on the one hand the magnificent illustrations that build the soul, on the other the stories that we can share as a family to reflect and deepen our experiences of daily life. A good book to create moments that strengthen wisdom and family unity. Also to develop deep values, that touch our spiritual aspect, to be more integral and to experience greater satisfaction in life.
December 17, 2020
This is a book of retold Chinese fables, based on the writings of the ancient philosopher Chang Tzu but written in modern language that any child could follow.
The tales are very short and each has a morale at the end to teach the reader something about the foibles of human nature.
The pictures are beautifully done and in full color in what looks like an oriental style. Overall the books is beautifully presented and would make a nice gift to a child, though adults would enjoy it too!
The tales are very short and each has a morale at the end to teach the reader something about the foibles of human nature.
The pictures are beautifully done and in full color in what looks like an oriental style. Overall the books is beautifully presented and would make a nice gift to a child, though adults would enjoy it too!
February 21, 2023
A GoodReads giveaway in exchange for an honest review.
I enjoyed the drawings and most of the morals. My main problem laid in the names given to the characters, I did not understand how most of them related to the stories and they were over the top silly to the point they were not amusing. I also failed to understand a majority of the stories. I did enjoy a couple though. 2.5 stars for the drawings and the stories and morals I enjoyed. I wanted to like the book more.
I enjoyed the drawings and most of the morals. My main problem laid in the names given to the characters, I did not understand how most of them related to the stories and they were over the top silly to the point they were not amusing. I also failed to understand a majority of the stories. I did enjoy a couple though. 2.5 stars for the drawings and the stories and morals I enjoyed. I wanted to like the book more.
July 22, 2017
The Show Off Monkey and Other Taoist Takes was an amazing read. It reminded me a great deal of The Big Book of Virtues but from another culture. I enjoyed the many stories and loved the line of sage advice at the end. I can see many uses for this book in the classroom and can't wait to share it with my colleagues and use it in my own class.
July 5, 2019
Fabulous. Step outside your mental constraints and simply enjoy this beautiful book. I appreciated everything about this book, from the elegant pictures to the whimsical names. The morals are true to Taoist philosophies. Well done.
Read
December 19, 2019Lovely children's book of quick parables that can be use as a starting point of meditation or journaling prompt. Beautiful illustrations for each parable. At the end of each parable there was a "lesson" or affirmation. The student names are delightfully silly.
Want to read
April 2, 2021Note: I accessed a digital review copy of this book through Edelweiss.
December 26, 2021
Good
Yes, likely. Go away amazon. I just want to do the star thingy. Zero more words required now, I mean now!
Yes, likely. Go away amazon. I just want to do the star thingy. Zero more words required now, I mean now!
Read
July 7, 2017I am not quite sure how to rate this book. I appreciate the thought behind giving silly names to students, but some of the names were more a distraction to the parables themselves. While the images are (mostly) lovely, the quality of the images does not seem consistent from parable to parable. More specific concetns were forwarded to the publisher. I hope to see how this one looks after final edits.
Review based on ARC from NetGalley.
Review based on ARC from NetGalley.
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews