Little Sid

January 1, 2018

Gr 1-3-Like the real Gautama, "Little Sid" is royal, a detail that is almost the sole point of biographical accuracy in Lendler's text. This version of Siddhartha, saddled with too-busy, seldom-available parents, is overwhelmed with servants' attentions and material excess. Only five candles light his birthday cake, but he openly departs his palace, seeking personal happiness. He doesn't encounter the Four Sights (illness, age, death, asceticism), just a village of ordinary people dealing with ordinary life (work, crying children). He later trades them his material goodies, for a saw. A couple of Wise Ones mention ephemerality and a Zen-like paradox. While in mortal danger he eats a strawberry and "without thinking," declares it "delicious." Now apparently enlightened, he returns, saws a table in half, and egotistically demands that his parents "Be here now" for him. Bouma's dynamic pastel images flow and float across the pages and a final note summarizes the real Siddhartha's life and message. Lendler's take is a jaw-dropping departure from the actual life of the Buddha; readers should seek out Whitney Stewart's Becoming Buddha or Demi's Buddha, both of which offer lively narrative accounts. Jon J. Muth's four "Zen" books also introduce related concepts effectively. VERDICT Collections will want to look elsewhere.-Patricia D. Lothrop, formerly at St. George's School, Newport, RI

Copyright 2018 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

November 1, 2017
Little princeling Sid leaves the palace seeking what he lacks.Brown-skinned Little Sid's just a normal kid except that his parents are the king and queen. Every moment they surround him with fun and entertainment, but Sid's not happy. He wants to spend time with his busy parents. Giving up on them, he sets out one day to find happiness in the world and hears of three wise ones who live on a mountain. Sid first meets a man who tells him his unhappiness will pass. He then meets a woman who makes him think about perception. Finally, while hanging precariously from a cliff's edge, he meets a mouse who teaches him to value each moment. He walks down the mountain, happy and changed. He gives away his possessions and forces his parents to share a moment with him. Bouma's illustrations are bright and expressive, but, as an introduction to the life and eventual teachings of Siddhartha Gautama, Lendler's tale is a facile misrepresentation of the Buddha's story. Siddhartha's father was present in his life, and his mother died shortly after his birth. The historical "Sid" was never allowed out of the palace as a child. Buddhist families may recognize Buddhist teachings but might react to it the way Christian families would to a picture book of Jesus pulling loaves and fishes from his swaddling clothes and climbing on a cross while still in the manger. The three-paragraph note about the real Buddha at the close does not mitigate what's gone before.Skip. (Picture book. 5-10)

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November 15, 2017
Preschool-K Everybody starts somewhereeven Buddha. Little Lord Siddhartha, aka Sid, has every possession a kid could desire. Despite his abundant treasures, he is dissatisfied and sets out to find happiness. In his travels, he meets the Three Wise Ones, a ferocious tiger, and a mouseall characters from traditional Buddhist fableswho help him find the path to enlightenment. Snappy dialogue, whimsical computer graphics, and exaggerated facial expressions help Sid get his message across to his preoccupied parents: be here now. Readers will get the message as well, along with accessible examples of kindness, good deeds, and mindfulness. Whether used as a folktale, a conversation starter about core values, or even as an introduction to Buddhism in a unit on world religions, kids will respond to Sid's sympathetic cartoon persona, his irreverent asides, and his quest. This is a good choice for sharing either one-on-one or during storytime. The detailed drawings will require multiple readings, so be prepared.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2017, American Library Association.)