The Prince Who Ran Away: The Story of Gautama Buddha

by Anne Rockwell, Fahimeh Amiri (Illustrator)

On a night more than two thousand years ago, a prince was born in India. He could have been the most powerful rajah in all the world. But instead, the prince chose to become a common beggar, seeking a way to end the suffering he saw around him. He knew riches could not end suffering. He learned that deprivation could not end suffering. Then, under an enormous spreading fig tree, deep in concentration, he found Enlightenment. He understood Dharma, the law governing all things. He had achieved Nirvana, the peace that triumphs over suffering. And he found this knowledge and understanding inside his own mind, nowhere else. He became the Buddha, and taught his way of ending suffering to all who wished to learn.

Genres: India, Buddhism, Nonfiction, Childrens, Biography

40 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2001

Reviews

[Saleh MoonWalker · Rating 3 out of 5]

داستان تصویری قشنگی راجع به بودا و بدایسم هست. سیستم روایتش خطی نیست و اصلا حصوله سر بر نیست و از اونجایی که کاملا مناسب بچه هاست. توضیحات خط اصلی داستان زیباست و اطلاعات به اندازه کافی با توجه به رده بندی سنی کتاب داده شده و همچنین تصویرگری هاش کاملا زیبا مناسب کودکانه.

[Desiree · Rating 5 out of 5]

My kids are studying world religions, we are currently on Buddhism. Most times, the basic tenants listed out bullet style in a text book are not the best for learning retention. Learning through storytelling is more compelling and memorable, even for myself at 37 years old! I am definitely not above picking up a children's book, full of beautiful pictures, and using it as a teaching tool. This pairs nicely with the Living Religions textbook by Mary Pat Fisher.

[Dolly · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a fascinating picture-book biography of Buddha and the origins of the Buddhist religion.

The narrative is informative without being boring or overwhelming and I think the amount of detail included is perfect for children.

The illustrations are wonderful and help to convey the culture and the age of the story.

We really enjoyed reading this book together and it really inspires me to expose our girls to different kinds of religious literature in order to help them learn about the variations and origins of the world's religious beliefs.

interesting quotes:

"He saw how everything has its own dharma, or truth, and that the dharma of everything in the universe is change." (p. 31 - unpaged)

"He knew there would always be old age, sickness, and death. He also knew that nothing could change this, for all things that have a beginning must have an end. But Gautama had found a way to stop suffering through a deep concentration that led to peace. His compassion for other people made him want to share this knowledge with anyone who wanted to learn what he could teach." (p. 33 - unpaged)

"Keep the light that glows within you burning, for it alone will lead you to truth." (p. 37 - unpaged)

[Christy · Rating 5 out of 5]

On a night more than two thousand years ago, a prince was born in India. He could have been the most powerful rajah in all the world. But instead, the prince chose to become a common beggar, seeking a way to end the suffering he saw around him. He knew riches could not end suffering. He learned that deprivation could not end suffering. Then, under an enormous spreading fig tree, deep in concentration, he found Enlightenment. He understood Dharma, the law governing all things. He had achieved Nirvana, the peace that triumphs over suffering. And he found this knowledge and understanding inside his own mind, nowhere else. He became the Buddha, and taught his way of ending suffering to all who wished to learn.

[Stephen]

Buddha: 😌
Mara: 👹


Excerpts:

The teachings of the Buddha are undogmatic, thoughtful, and flexible. Each person may discover the truth in themselves by using the profound and intuitive guidelines the Buddha taught his followers.

[Niki Brogen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed the way the writing flowed throughout the story and keeps the reader entranced as the story moved along. <3 Beautifully done

[Melanie, Aaron, Annie, and Mary Project · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read by: Mary
Title: The Prince Who Ran Away: The Story of Guatama Buddha
Author: Anne Rockwell
Illustrator: Fahimeh Amiri
Genre: Traditional Literature/Biography
Grade Level: 3-5



This book is about Gautama Buddha, a man from the past who founded the religion Buddhism. The book is about how he became to be Buddha from being a prince. It starts with the prince being born and a fortune was told that in order to become the greatest rajah, he had to always stay in the palace and never see the outside suffering which would make him compassionate and leave. His father tried to keep him in the palace, but after time the Gautama found a way. He saw all the disparity and left his richest behind to end the worlds suffering. The story talks of the trials he had to go through in order to leave greed, hatred, and delusion behind, therefore being able to live a life free of suffering. This book is a good resource for children studying different religions and becoming familiar with the diverse backgrounds of those around them.

[Latifa Awad · Rating 4 out of 5]

Genre: Traditional Literature/Biography
This book talks about the life of Buddha from when he was a rich prince, to leaving all the luxuries, to becoming Buddha. He left royalty to search how to end suffering in the world. Through his search, he understood Dharma and reached Nirvana. Nirvana is a place of peace and happiness. This book helped me get a better understand of the story of Buddha. The book is interesting to children and offers a variety of things to think about. It is age- appropriate and children can understand what is represented. The illustrations in the book are accurate and correspond with to the text. The pictures help enhance the story. The characters use speech that accurately represents their cultural and oral traditions. I would recommend this book for students grades four and up because some of the ideas presented in the book may be more appropriate for children that are older.

[Tanya Wadley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good children's introduction to Buddhism. My kids really liked the story, and it grew on me as we read it. Colorful art.

As for some of the Buddhism basics introduced in the story...
I like the acknowledgement that all things have a beginning and an end... suffering and sickness are part of life and that peace can be attained through our state of mind. I also like a de-emphasis on materialism... that happiness can be independent of our temporal state, and that our current temporal situation is not permanent.

The Buddhist teachings are a lovely addition to any truth seeker, and as a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, I find that many of these teachings resonate with me and my beliefs system.

[Jean-Marie · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you are looking for a picture book biography of Buddha, this is the one to get. The story starts at Buddha's conception and ends with his death. While this book contains many of the more prominent events of Buddha's biographical story, the only part missing is why Buddha is oftentimes depicted with snails on his head. I wish it had mentioned the snails. In addition to the well-told thorough story, this book also features beautiful, vivid illustrations. It is worth taking the time to pause and examine the details of each one and it represents the story being told.

[Loren Featherston · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book tells the story of Buddha with beautiful illustrations. The book tells the story one prince's journey on the road of enlightenment, where he is saddened by all the suffering in the world. I believe this is an enjoyable book for all ages, although the reading may be too advanced for those young readers.

[Jill · Rating 2 out of 5]

A book for children telling the story of Buddha. Interesting art, my children were enchanted, probably because of the page that showed all the princesses that Siddharta had to choose from when deciding upon a wife.

[Kelsey · Rating 3 out of 5]

Age: 7-12 years
Media: colored pencil and watercolor

A lovely tale for children about the origins of Buddhism and the savior who led this new religion. Page 13 strongly pushes Buddhism as the right religion, so be careful when sharing with children in the library.

[lily · Rating 3 out of 5]

Buddha ran away and taught people and died. We believe some of the things he teaches like not killing people, always telling the truth, and treating people and animals kindly.

[Teri · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good, accurate (as far as I can tell) story of Prince Siddartha becoming the Buddha. Note: it's definitely a longer read, but my kids enjoyed revisiting this story in picture book form.

[Ami · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beautiful art!