Tibetan Tales from the Top of the World

“This book is a delight!” – Richard Gere
 
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Three beautifully illustrated wisdom tales from Tibet. A young prince, wise monkey, and magical guardian are some of the fun characters that will entertain and delight readers young and old. Each tale offers simple wisdom and exemplifies how to live in peace and kindness. An enchanting glimpse into Tibetan culture. The book includes a map, glossary, and description of a Tibetan chant

Tibetan Tales from the Top of the World follows Naomi’s award-winning Tibetan Tales for Little Buddhas.

Details

  • Written and Illustrate by Naomi C. Rose
  • Foreword by the Dalai Lama
  • Preface by Richard Gere
  • Hardcover, 64pp, 12 X 8 1/2
  • ISBN-10: 1-57416-089-3
  • ISBN-13: 978-1-57416-089-5
  • In English and Tibetan
  • Dancing Dakini Press, 2009
  • Ages 4 and up
  • Hardcover print: $19.95
  • Kindle-all formats: $2.99  Kindle version

“Tashi’s Gold” told by Melanie Fraser! www.melaniefraser-voice.com

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Foreword by the Dalai Lama

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When I was a young child in Tibet, I had textbooks to learn and study, but no illustrated children’s books to read or look at. Instead, I would turn the pages of news magazines brought up from India and look at the photographs. There began to form a picture in my mind of the world beyond Tibet’s borders.

Tibetan Tales from the Top of the World is Naomi C. Rose’s second children’s book of Tibetan tales. In it, she retells simple stories that were once told in Tibet. Children will surely find these charming and colourful books fun to read. Because the stories are set in Tibet, readers in other lands will naturally become aware of the existence of our country and of the values that we hold dear.

I congratulate the author on her efforts and hope that books like these may serve as examples for others in their clarity, simplicity, and enchanting appeal to children. I am sure they will bring joy to readers young and old.

Artwork

Visit Galleries to see more illustrations.

Story Synopses

Jampa’s Surprise
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Prince Jampa is convinced that a sinister enemy has plans to invade his kingdom. He gathers five thousand horsemen for a surprise attack, yet Jampa receives a surprise of his own.


Sonam and the Stolen Cow
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Villagers accuse Sonam, a young nun, of stealing a cow. Sonam flees, denying she is a thief. But when she meets a playful monkey, Sonam’s mind is changed in unexpected ways.

 

Tashi’s Gold

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Tashi learns of a magical lake of gold and hurries to get all the gold he can. But the lake’s spirit guardian gives him only one nugget. Tashi’s mischievous attempts to get more take him to gold of another kind.

 


Awards and Honors

Nautilus Book Award Silver Winner in the category of Children’s Illustrated Book.

International Book Awards Finalist in the Children’s Picture Book category

Recommended by the Children’s Core Collection.


Review Highlights

School Library Journal
The expressive faces of the Tibetan people are carefully rendered while backgrounds are more impressionistic. Rose’s palette is rich with periwinkle, teals, reds, golds, pinks, and purples…These tales shine a light on the hearts of the Tibetan people.

Midwest Book Review (5 Stars)
Paging through “Tibetan Tales from the Top of the World” it is easy to see why this author/illustrator deserves such high honors and awards.

Children’s Literature Comprehensive Database
[The stories] reflect the unique blend of thoughtful actions and deeply held values that characterize the Tibetan lifeway…a wonderful gift to young readers.

Kirkus Reviews
The paintings are bright and their subjects expressive … a good addition to large folklore collections.

Shambhala Sun Magazine
Recommended book for the holidays: Tibetan Tales from the Top of the World features three traditional stories in both English and Tibetan…dreamy illustrations…

Curled Up With A Good Book
features three short stories, each teaching a virtue such as tolerance, honesty and generosity… a good addition to any library of folklore from around the world.

The Book Connection
A truly inspirational reading experience awaits you and your child in Tibetan Tales from the Top of the World!

Full Reviews

School Library Journal, Spring 2010

In ‘Prince Jampa’s Surprise,’ a young prince gathers 5000 horsemen to attack a neighboring kingdom believed to be savage and bloodthirsty. He is surprised to find the people gentle and welcoming, totally unlike the stories he has heard. ‘Sonam and the Stolen Cow,’ tells of a young nun falsely accused of stealing a cow and then convicted in her own heart for something she stole years before… In ‘Tashi’s Gold,’ a lazy boy learns of a magical lake full of gold. Its guardian allows him to take a little but warns that true riches never come from gold…. The expressive faces of the Tibetan people are carefully rendered while backgrounds are more impressionistic. Rose’s palette is rich with periwinkle, teals, reds, golds, pinks, and purples…. Containing both English and Tibetan texts, these tales shine a light on the hearts of the Tibetan people.

Midwest Book Review (5 Stars), December 2009

Featuring a foreword by the Dalai Lama and preface by Richard Gere, “Tibetan Tales from the Top of the World” by author and illustrator Naomi C. Rose (and the assistance of Tenzin Palsang, Tibetan translator) is a lovely bilingual collection of children’s wisdom tales from Tibetan traditions. It is the second such collection by the author, following the earlier “Tibetan Tales for Little Buddhas,” a special collaboration that won both a Nautilus Book award and an International Storytelling World Honor award.

Paging through “Tibetan Tales from the Top of the World” it is easy to see why this author/illustrator deserves such high honors and awards. The three wisdom tales, Prince Jampa’s Surprise, Sonam and the Stolen Cow, and Tashi’s Gold, are simply told in both English and Tibetan, illustrated with beautiful colorful paintings of Tibetan scenes including special miniatures of Tibetan wildlife, catalogued carefully at the end. This marvelous edition of “Tibetan Tales from the Top of the World” is sure to enchant readers young and old with its exotic details and simple messages of gratitude, honesty, and humility as virtues to be attained. As with other of the author’s undertakings, a portion of the proceeds obtained for this publication benefit the Tibetan refugee children.

Children’s Literature Comprehensive Database, December 2009

This lively collection with prefatory comments by His Holiness the Dalai Lama and Richard Gere, is the second of its kind from author-illustrator Naomi Rose (Tibetan Tales for Little Buddhas). In bilingual text, translated into Tibetan by Tenzin Palsang, this 64-page collection includes three intriguing stories. “Prince Jampa’s Surprise” is about a prince who acts on his people’s assumptions about their neighboring kingdom, only to be taken aback at the reality he discovers. In “Sonam and the Stolen Cow,” a young nun is accused of stealing a calf. She flees in righteous indignation, until an encounter with an all-knowing monkey gives her perspective. “Tashi’s Gold” is a lesson about greed, involving wonderful dramatic elements such as a singing guardian spirit and atmospheric gusts of wind. A glossary with phonetic pronunciations and an author’s note are located in the front matter. Back matter includes captioned spot illustrations of the Tibetan wildlife featured in the art as part of the setting. Rose’s text is clear, simple, and direct. Briskly paced but lyrical in quality, the stories make their points without didacticism. They reflect the unique blend of thoughtful actions and deeply held values that characterize the Tibetan Buddhist lifeway. A photograph placed in front matter and then again in the middle story complements the colorful paintings. A rare bilingual offering and a wonderful gift to young readers. REVIEWER: Uma Krishnaswami

Kirkus Reviews, November 2009

Rose’s follow-up to Tibetan Tales for Little Buddhas (2004) features three more traditional tales. In the first, generations have passed down stories of the savagery of the people of Varasi. Prince Jampa thinks he’s discovered their plot, so he sets out on a preemptive invasion. When he arrives at the palace, Jampa gets a surprise. In the next, Sonam, a reclusive nun, is accused of stealing. She’s innocent, but she learns a lesson about the implications of her past crimes thanks to a helpful monkey. And finally Tashi finds a lake full of gold nuggets. The wise, fearsome guardian goddess lets him take one nugget. Wiley Tashi takes his father back to get his one nugget. The two plan to take the whole family, but instead learn money doesn’t buy happiness and sharing is a reward unto itself. The paintings are bright and their subjects expressive… these three moralistic tales presented in both English and Tibetan is a good addition to large folklore collections.

Shambhala Sun, December 2009
Recommended book for the holidays.
Tibetan Tales from the Top of the World features three traditional stories in both English and Tibetan. The Tibetan translation is by Pasang Tenzin; the foreword is by the Dalai Lama; the preface is by Richard Gere; and the text and dreamy illustrations are by Naomi C. Rose, who will be donating some of the sale proceeds to benefit Tibetan refugees.
Curled Up With A Good Book, Summer 2010

Naomi Rose, the author of Tibetan Tales for Little Buddhas, is back with another collection of traditional Tibetan tales for children. Tibetan Tales from the Top of the World features three short stories, each teaching a virtue such as tolerance, honesty and generosity.

The stories are presented in both English and Tibetan, with luminous, brightly colored paintings to illustrate them. These lyrical tales set in the remote Himalayas introduce readers to Tibetan culture and give them a taste of the simple and enduring values of Tibetan Buddhism.

Like the previous book in the same series, Tibetan Tales from the Top of the World is a Nautilus Book Award winner (2010, Silver award). A foreword by the Dalai Lama, a glossary of Tibetan words with a phonetic key and an appendix with the names and photographs of the Tibetan wildlife pictured in the illustrations through the book all make for nice additions to the text.

Although the book is listed as being appropriate for children who are four and older, it is better suited for children who are slightly older, perhaps above the age of six. This book is a good addition to any library of folklore from around the world.

The Book Connection, Spring 2010

Come experience the world of Tibet through the simple, yet charming tales told in Tibetan Tales from the Top of the World by Naomi C. Rose.

This delightful collection includes three ancient tales that offer simple wisdom and show us how to live in peace and kindness. In “Prince Jampa’s Surprise”, children read of Prince Jampa, a brave young man who has been misled about the Varasi by years and years of stories telling of their bloodthirsty ways. Thinking the Varasi are out to destroy his people, Prince Jampa leads a war party into battle, only to discover that things might not be as they seem.

“Sonam and the Stolen Cow” shares the the story of Sonam, a young nun who is falsely accused of stealing a cow. Treated poorly by her accusers, when Sonam sees a chance to escape, she runs off. Very hungry, she meets up with a monkey in the woods, who reminds her of a time her cousin was falsely accused for something she did, which leads her on a path to finally make things right.

The last story in this collection is “Tashi’s Gold”. Tashi is a lazy worker, who spends much of his time napping. When he overhears two men talking about the magical lake loaded with gold, Tashi decides to go to the lake. If he were rich, he wouldn’t need to work on the farm anymore. He meets with the guardian of the lake, who tells him that riches never come from gold, but the greedy Tashi takes some anyway. But Tashi and his family soon discover the meaning behind the guardian’s words.

Each of these tales is told in a lyrical, flowing prose that draws the reader in. The author has studied Tibetan culture and wisdom since 1994, and her knowledge and passion to share this wisdom is evident right from the very beginning. Rose also provided the stunning illustrations for this book, making Tibetan Tales from the Top of the World a beautiful piece of work. The stories are told in English and Tibetan. There is a Preface from actor Richard Gere and the Dalai Lama provides the Foreword. Rose’s previous book, Tibetan Tales for Little Buddhas, won a Nautilus Book Award. It will not surprise me if Tibetan Tales from the Top of the World garners her more accolades.

A truly inspirational reading experience awaits you and your child in Tibetan Tales from the Top of the World!