JUNE 9, 2010

Kids Religious and Moral Education Galore

Posted by Dorothy under Philosophyno responses

Scratching your head and undecided on what to buy for your kid or someone else’s kid on their birthday? The common ideas would be either books or toys. I personally prefer buying books as presents rather than toys to encourage the reading habit but these days, kids have so many other wants ie: mobile phones or the latest computer games. Besides all that, most parents would agree with me that books have not lost their popularity amongst these gadget literate kids. Therefore, I would like to introduce to all parents out there a list of Hindu and Buddhist colourful pictorial books with hints of moral and religious education thrown in. If you are not convinced that a child will be interested in these books, think of it as the Asian version of Powerpuff Girls, Sesame Street and Pokemon:)

1) Little Monk’s Ganesha

Do you know whose birthday is celebrated all over the country on Bhadrapada Chaturthi? It is Ganesha’s, the elephant-headed son of Shiva and Parvati. Known as Vighneshwara, meaning the ‘remover of obstacles’, Ganesha is worshipped at the beginning of every auspicious happening so that the venture may get completed without any hindrance.

Ganesha is known for his intellect and presence of mind. He had a very interesting and eventful childhood. With an elephant head, potbelly and a penchant for good food, Lord Ganesha is one of the most popular and loved of the Hindu gods. Each of the illustrated stories in this book presents different aspects of Ganesha, be it his mischief, humour, devotion to his mother or his gentle, compassionate nature.

2) The Little Book Of Hindu Deities

In this  Little Book of Hindu Deities, Pixar animator Sanjay Patel brings to life Hinduism’s most important gods and goddesses in fun, full-color illustrations, each accompanied by a short, lively profile. The stories of Hindu mythology cover everything from love and jealousy to petty grievances and epic battles, with characters ranging from monsters and demons to noble warriors and divine divas. Find out why Ganesha has an elephant’s head (his father cut it off!) and why Kali, the Goddess of Time, is known as “The Black One” (she’s a bit goth).

3) Indian Children’s Favorite Stories

This delightful collection of Indian folk tales-retold for an international audience-contains beautifully illustrated stories that provide an insight into the traditional culture and history of India. Retold here are the wonderful tales of how the Lord Krishna escapes the evil Kamsa’s repeated attempts to kill him, and how the elephant keeper’s daughter Rani humbles an unwise and unjust king by emptying his storehouses of rice.

4) Stories From India

Featuring old stories of trickery and cunning, fable-like tales of animals, and inspiring stories of the battles and feats of different Hindu gods, this book retells 16 traditional Indian tales that will engage and amuse young children.

5) The Little Monk’s Buddha

The stories in this book depict the Buddha in several of his births in animal form. Children learn the importance of compassion and kindness from these delightful fables which are simple and easy to understand.

6) Lastly, if your child prefers computers to books, you can try these websites

http://www.hindukids.org/play/puzzles/index.html
http://www.buddhanet.net/index.html
http://www.dharmagames.org/

Good luck with introducing these Asian fables to your kids and I will appreciate it if you fellow readers can update me in regards of your kids reactions!!!Fingers crossed

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