Product Description

Based on Buddhist concepts of Samsara and Nirvana, this moving story about love and life, death and dying, will touch every reader.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #42772 in Books
• Published on: 2007-08-14
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 48 pages

Review
"Even if you don't share a belief in reincarnation, you should be able to appreciate these universal life lessons. So get out the tissues and be prepared for a lovely, enlightening, and touching story to share with your children." --- A Readable Feast

"This is the most beautiful book I've read in a very long time. Beautifully written, gracefully illustrated and filled with such beauty, knowledge, and faith. I would recommend it to everyone. It will change and enlighten each reader." --- Lucy K., Talking Leaves...Books

The Buddhist concepts of reincarnation and by extension Samsara and Nirvana are conveyed with touching clarity...definitely deserving of a place on the shelf... --Kirkus Reviews

From the Author
The idea for Samsara Dog arose because Helen "wanted to write a book for children that gave the idea of reincarnation in as natural a way as possible." She chose Dog as her main character because "most children have experienced some emotional connection with a dog or a pet."

Julie says, "Samsara Dog was an exciting challenge to illustrate." She worked daily with Dog for more than two years and says "there were times when he was difficult and elusive to capture. But I grew to love him. And now I look forward to seeing how Dog fares in his next life - out there with his readers."

From the Inside Flap
For we are all travelers on the wheel of life. We halt, we pause, and take new births.

Coming back again and again was how it was meant to be. Dog lived each life as it came, until, finally, he learned the most important lesson of all.

Customer Reviews

Ready your hankies
I cannot read this book to my daughter without weeping. We are in the habit of reading a book over and over for a month or more, and we will not be able to do so with Samsara Dog because I have such difficulty getting through it in a manner that she can understand since I always start choking up about halfway in.


In other words: I love it, sincerely, and it makes me think I may be Buddhist but not know it yet. My daughter at least thinks it's charming that I cry so much when reading books about reincarnation, dogs, and/or death. Please read this book.

Be prepared to answer questions
I purchased this book for my 10 year old grandson for Christmas. We had some great discussions about death and dying as a result of reading the book together. A week later his new brother was stillborn. You just never know when you have to start talking about death and dying with children and it gave us a great language to talk about what happened and begin the process of acceptance.
The illustrations are wonderful and the story is uplifting. It is one that children will understand more and more as time goes on because the story is easily understood at face value and then as the child grows perspective, the depth of the story becomes more apparent.

Spiritual Life of Dogs
This moving story may bring tears to your eyes, but not because of sadness alone. There is beauty and a sense of peace in the cycle of birth and death described here. The writing is simple and effective; the illustrations are unusually memorable.