In this delightful Buddhist story, Monkey is impressed with Panda's state of peace and happiness. He learns that all he does every day is what everyone else does: "I walk, I work, I read, I eat, I play, and I rest." But the difference is that when Monkey does these things, he's always thinking about the future instead of the present moment. Panda calls that "the Monkey mind" which jumps from one thing to another. The Monkey decides that he wants to have "a mind full of the present." He's ready to begin on a new path of being.
It is wonderful to have this bright children's book written by Lauren Alderfer and illustrated by Kerry Lee MacLean (Moody Cow Meditates). In a simple and clear way, they present the spiritual practice of mindfulness with its emphasis on staying with what we are doing and not draining all our energy on distractions. In a time when multi-tasking is so widespread and popular, it is good to have an antidote that the little ones can understand. Mindful Monkey, Happy Panda is aimed at children ages 4 through 8 years.
