The Coconut Monk

By Thich Nhat Hanh

Book Overview

In a war-torn world filled with images of violence, Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh offers young readers reassurance and a reminder that peace can be found through empathy. Based on a talk given directly... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1888375531
• ISBN13: 9781888375534
• Release Date: January 2006
• Publisher: Plum Blossom Books
• Length: 40 Pages
• Weight: 0.95 lbs.
• Dimensions: 11.5" x 0.5" x 9.0"
• Age Range: 4 to 8 years
• Grade Range: Preschool to Grade 3

Customer Reviews

Suitable for children of all ages

"The Coconut Monk" is a children's story about a real person named Dao Dua (?-1990), a Buddhist monk of Viet Nam who established a religious community on Phoenix Island in the Mekong River in the 1960's centered on a multicultural tradition of pacifism. Called the Coconut monk because his vegetarian diet was mainly coconuts, Dao Dua built a sanctuary which became a haven for many of the population who were fleeing the ravages of the war in Vietnam. The Coconut Monk and his two companions a cat and a mouse tries to go to the president of Viet Nam and ask him to stop the war. But soldiers throw him in prison and his cat and mouse friends come with him. Though there is little food in prison, all three share what they have, and the cat does not eat the mouse. Eventually people find out about the Coconut Monk's imprisonment and they visit him and write letters and the guards of the prison finally release him. His question to the President remains, "If a cat and a mouse can live together in peace, don't you think we humans can too?" "The Coconut Monk" is beautifully illustrated in delicate cool shades and tints that visually reinforce the central message of peaceful solutions and mindfulness that permeates the story. "The Coconut Monk" is suitable for children of all ages.

Truly touching

Excellent! Highly recommended. A very unknown true story in the midst of beautiful illustrations.