I appreciated how short each story in this collection of stories was (for children's readability). And most impressively, each story relates to the next but can also be read individually.

I grew up loving fables such as Jack and Jill, the tortoise and the hare, Hansel and Gretel, etc. So, I am always interested in reading stories such as this from other cultures. This book in particular is a staple in my classroom. My World History students generally have their eyes glazed over and disinterested expressions when we reach the world religions unit in the curriculum. In an effort to make the lessons more interesting, I try to introduce some type of children's story. I Once Was a Monkey is a terrific way to introduce Buddhism. We discuss fables like the ones previously mentioned. Then, I read one or two of the stories in this book before teaching the history of Buddhism. More often than not, they ask me to read another at the end of the class.

I would recommend this book to anyone teaching ancient civilizations. The illustrations are extremely dark and often students comment on that fact. This is the perfect opening for discussing what was going on in India at the time that stories would be created which could be accompanied by such dark images. ( )

Beautiful woodblock images support the story that can relate to older children as well and young.

Genre: Myth
This book is a myth because a young monkey is caught in a storm and finds shelter in a small cave amidst other animals. A buddha stature is tells the animals stories to pass the time by quickly. The stories are fables of animals outsmarting other animals but what makes this book a myth is that it involves a supernatural being.
Art Media: Colored pencils, black pencils, charcoal,

This is a book for children, featuring stories which illustrate some of the main principles of Buddhism. It’s set during a monsoon, and when a monkey waits out the storm in a temple full of other animals, a statue of the Buddha comes to life and tells them stories, all of which illustrate moral lessons.

While I love the concept and the artwork, I found the prose to be a bit uninspired, for a read-aloud book. My seven-year-old also enjoyed it, but didn’t love it. We’ll probably read it a couple more times, but I’m going to keep my eyes out for something similar that is perhaps a bit more engaging to read. ( )