Guan Yin - the Buddha's Helper: Retold from the Lotus Sutra

Gr 1–5—Drawing on the Lotus Sutra, Jin Rou (Snow-Covered Peaks, 2016, Buddhist Text Translation Society) introduces the bodhisattva not in the stories told about her, but as a widely revered source of compassion. The simple text emphasizes how calling on Guan Yin can help in situations that can cause children stress: spiders, darkness, illness, anger, sadness, and studies. Good advice is offered: think over your troubles with friends, use kind words and give friends help. If a loved one dies, remember the good times. If you want something but can't have it, you can be happy even without it. The typeface is large enough for new readers. Guan Yin is represented with hair variously yellow, brown, or black, always in flowing robes, and a bejeweled crown, which often represents an image of Amitabha. Her elongated face, downcast eyes, and straight-line mouth never vary, and the small children depicted are, like her, chinless and noseless cartoons, redeemed by the settings' deep glowing colors.