I just finished a lovely class/workshop based upon this book. I still have a few copies left if you are interested in purchasing them in person, or you can find them for sale through my link at www.TheStorytellersBooks.com
The Mountains of Tibet, written and
illustrated by Mordicai Gerstein
Paperback
ISBN-13: 9781898000549Publisher: Barefoot Books
Pages: 32
Awards:
- Outstanding Children's Books of 1987 (NYT)
- Best Illustrated Children's Books of 1987 (NYT)
- Notable 1987 Children's Trade Books in Social Studies (NCSS/CBC)
- 1988 Choices (Association of Booksellers for Children)
- 1987 Choices: The Year's Best Books (Publishers Weekly)
- 1987 Children's Books (NY Public Library)
Book Description:
In a tiny village, high in the mountains of Tibet, lives a woodcutter. All
his life he has longed to travel to faraway places, to see the world. But he
grows old without ever leaving the mountain. When he dies, he is suddenly
offered the choice of either going to heaven, or living another life, in any
form he wants, anywhere in the universe. Carefully he decides ... and finds
himself in a place he never thought he would choose.
The Mountains of Tibet grew out of
Mordecai Gerstein's reading of The Tibetan Book
of the Dead. This earlier edition of The Mountains of Tibet features an
introduction by Sogyal Rinpoche, author of The
Tibetan Book of Living and Dying.
Reviews:
"In The Mountains of Tibet,
Mordicai Gerstein shows how beautifully and imaginatively the Tibetan teachings
can be presented to children. These teachings are relevant to all of us and
perhaps there has never been a time when we have needed them more." - Sogyal Rinpoche, author of The Tibetan Book of Living and Dying
"A perfect blend of story and picture. The impact of its peaceful message
will reverberate long after the last page is read." - The Horn Book
"The Mountains of Tibet deserves a
wide readership. It draws on all the potency of myth and symbol to invest a
disarmingly simple tale (and highly original illustrations) with a depth of
meaning that many more weighty tomes might envy." - Times Educational
Supplement
"Gerstein's fluid text and swirling, imaginative paintings are filled with
light and reassurance. This is a work that will have many lives." - Time Magazine
"This award-winning children's story offers a delightfully
thought-provoking introduction to the concept that life and death are parts of
one whole. It is beautifully and imaginatively told and the illustrations are
exquisite." - Home and
Country
"An enchanting and spiritually rich little tale, beautifully illustrated."
- Yorkshire
Post
"A timeless tale at ease with the rhythm of life and death, and perfect for
the child who likes to ponder the imponderable ... This beautifully illustrated
story is told with impressive economy, embracing as it does life, death, the
universe, and everything. And there's a happy ending." - Guardian
From School Library Journal - Grade 2 Up.
"This story of the death and reincarnation of a Tibetan woodcutter is a
beautifully gentle look at one human being dealing with life's choices and
possibilities. As a boy, he thought about other worlds that he would someday
visit; as a man, he thought of other countries and people, yet ``he was always
busy with his work and his wife and children.'' After his death, he is given the
option of being part of ``the endless universe some call heaven'' or living
another life, and he chooses another life. The choices which follow take him
through all the galaxies, stars, planets, creatures, peoples, countries, and
parents before arriving at the final twist in this journey back to where he had
been almost. Thus, the story comes full circle. The quiet, rhythmic text is in
perfect unity with the softly coloured but radiant watercolour and gouache
illustrations, leaving readers with a sense of wholeness and resolution. The
golden borders neatly tuck the story in and add to its feeling of satisfaction
and quiet joy. The real world scenes are in neatly boxed frames while the worlds
of possibilities are displayed in mandala-like circular drawings. The main
character, pictured in his small personal mandala, shows a range of emotions and
dance-like movement. The kites held by the children in three scenes connect the
multiple worlds of the story, providing both a grounding in the world we know
and a means to soar beyond it. Children will appreciate the well-told tale and
the joyous satisfaction of being one's own self in a large and magical world." -
Kay E. Vandergrift, School of
Communication, Information and Library Studies, Rutgers Univ, New Brunswick,
N.J. (Copyright 1987 Reed Business Information, Inc.)
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