Spiritual writer Edward Hays has observed: "A smile is a facial message of friendliness, delight, satisfaction, and amusement." It is a prominently evident part of the devotional repertoire of saints and bodhisattvas. Notice the half-smile on the faces of many statues of the Buddha. They convey to us a sense of inner peace and joy.
Augustus and His Smile is a wonderful children's book for kids four through seven years of age. Augustus is a tiger who has lost his smile. This sad animal takes a large and long stretch before heading out into the wide and diverse world to look for it. He searches under a bush and sees a small, shiny beetle; he climbs to the tops of the tallest trees and finds birds chirping away; he travels to the top of mountains where snow clouds swirl; he swims to the bottom of the deepest ocean where he runs into fish; and he continues his quest in the desert and in puddles of rain.
What Augustus learns about his smile and happiness applies to us all. Writer and illustrator Catherine Rayner has fashioned a delightful tale that is sure to put a smile on the face of everyone (young and old) who reads it.
