Becoming Buddha: The Story of Siddharta

Siddhartha Gautama was born a wealthy prince. He gradually gave up worldly ways until, at age thirty-five, he attained supreme enlightenment and became the Buddha. The ancient story is beautifully retold in this unique edition, illustrated with stunning Asian-style paintings in full color, with each painting presenting a key stage in Siddhartha’s life. In a novel touch that revives an old Asian tradition, the pages read top to bottom with the book bound at the top. An author’s note at the end gives background information and is followed by suggestions on how to meditate from the Dalai Lama himself. Whitney Stewart’s new picture book about the life of the Buddha is timely because even today the story of the Buddha has a lot to tell us. This is not because I have any personal interest in increasing the number of Buddhists in the world, but because I believe that his teaching and his own example can still contribute to global peace and individual happiness. — Tenzin Gyatso, The 14th Dalai Lama, in his introduction

Importantly, the presentation empowers young readers with something they, like the Buddha, might do to develop compassion for others and alleviate suffering. — Multicultural Review