THE ANGRY MONK AND THE FLY

Even a disciplined monk can lose his cool.

A light-skinned, bald monk in orange robes sits for meditation each day in a field of morning glories. He sits so still that wild animals feel safe around him. “They knew this monk like nature, like weather and earth know each other.” He sits night and day, and all the animals are at peace with him except one: a fly. The fly buzzes around the monk’s head, angering him. His outbursts frighten the other animals away. Each day he vows to ignore the fly, but each day his anger gets the better of him. The monk uses breathing meditation to calm himself, but the annoying fly still gets to him. One day, the fly lands on the monk’s nose. The monk looks at the fly and really sees it. He sees himself in the fly’s eyes and feels a oneness with the fly and all creation. He sees the fly as “Buddha-Fly.” The fly is no longer an irritant; it’s a teacher. Subtitled “a tale of mindfulness for children,” Schneider’s story of awakening might work best for children who already have a passing knowledge of the teachings of Buddha since concepts such as oneness, “Buddha-Fly,” and meditation aren’t explained. The illustrations, a mix of folk art and abstraction, contain a few confusing moments. Simple meditation instructions are included at the close. (This book was reviewed digitally.)

Better choices abound in the boom of mindfulness titles for kids.