This is a book to spend time with, not just read straight through. The style of drawings on each page are a curious mix of the classic ox-herding pictures of Zen tradition, with something of a Disney touch. Portions of the book follow a narrative thread, related to two characters -- Panda and Tiny Dragon – walking together, or journeying, talking, sometimes without clear destination.
A spread — when the book is opened, pages left and right — will sometimes form a lesson, or encouragement, or a soft teaching all in itself. But most often, a single page of illustration and text accomplishes this. For example, we see the two characters walking through a mountain valley that looks somewhat desolate (drawn in black-and-white — only occasional pages are in full color), and the text reads:
“ 'Sometimes I feel empty and without purpose,' said Tiny Dragon.
“ 'Purposeless isn’t emptiness,' said Big Panda. 'Think of it as the freedom to wander, to explore and to let life unfold without any expectations.' “
On the following page, Panda and Tiny Dragon are sitting on the ground amid trees. Panda is munching bamboo. The text reads: “Tiny Dragon searched and searched but couldn’t find what he was looking for. 'Perhaps it’s already inside you?' suggested Big Panda.”
Buddhism is what’s being offered, but you might never know it by name, unless you read the author’s statement at the back of the book, after all the pictures and stories are done. “I often get asked how I ended up creating these books, so I will briefly explain it here…. Because I had struggled a lot with mental health, I’d spent many years studying spirituality, especially Buddhism, and it had helped me enormously. I wanted to take the concepts I had learnt and share them with others in a very accessible way, as I know many people don’t have the inclination to read large, dry books in order to get a few useful ideas.”
This is an excellent, gentle book of those “useful ideas.” It is shaped larger than most, and almost square, like a children’s book. Your children might like it, too, but it is meant for your encouragement.
