"Above all, prize harmony," Confucius once said. Sarah Conover is a seasoned explorer of the complex traditions of wisdom and spirituality. She is the founder and general editor of the This Little Light of Mine series, of which this is the fourth volume. Chen Hui has taught for many years and is devoted to building bridges between China and the United States. This engaging anthology consists of 24 stories which are perfect for reading aloud by parents to children.
Conover and Hui provide readers with background information on each tale and the lesson it teaches. For instance, "Waiting for a Hare by a Tree Stump" is about a farmer who sees a hare collide with a tree stump and then assumes such a strange accident will occur every day. The Taoist tradition teaches us that success has a price of hard work and things don't just magically fall into our hands. Also nature is not in the habit of serving any human need that has to be met.
This excellent collection of stories provides easy access to the philosophy and religion of one of the world's oldest civilizations. Conover and Hui point out that behind these tales about animals and ordinary human beings lie the rich resources of China's wisdom as it has been passed down through the centuries. The illustrations by Ji Ruoxiao amplify the tales nicely.
Since one in five people on the planet is Chinese, it is imperative that we all come to understand them as best we can. Harmony is a good start.
