The Legend of Lao Tzu and the Tao Te Ching

This book seemed brand new. Reviews had warned me that it was pretty wordy, and that's true. Not so much a children's book as a book for young people exploring religious viewpoints. A Unitarian class could have many valuable lessons. Art work is amazing. A beautiful book.

I bought this book based on the description. I teach the third grade, so I own several other books by this author. When I got the book, I found it sort of heavy handed in the Taoist department which I know I should have expected from the title, but the problem is that it reads more like history, or basic doctrine rather than a fairy tale or myth which would have been fine. As a fundamentalist Christian, I do not think I would read the book to my class, because I would never be able to do a convincing job of telling the tale. However, those gilded pages are awesome and some of the most beautiful artwork I have ever seen in a picture book. It rounds out the author set, but I believe is intended for a much older audience than my third grade class. If you studying the world's religions in a 6th grade class, it would be perfect.

China will displace Germany as the world's third largest economy this year, which makes this beautifully brief book very appropriate as an introduction to the thought and religion of at least one of every five people in China. Globalisation means need for the wisdom of this book is unfolding every day because of the vast increases in greenhouse gases produced by China, the smog-ridden new industrial cities, and projects such as the Three Gorges Dam. China's economic boom is based on the human control of nature, which is the basis of contemporary Occidental economics; this book is an intelligent alternative which effectively says, "Wait just a minute!" To quote directly from the book: "Once Lao Tzu was asked how he found the Way of Heaven, and he said, 'I made a great effort: I tried and tried and tried to find it, but I couldn't. Then one day as I was sitting under a tree, a dry leaf fell, slowly moving with the wind. The wind moved north; the leaf moved north; the wind moved south; the leaf moved south; then the wind stopped -- and the leaf fell down and rested beautifully on the earth. Then again there was some wind, and again the leaf rose high in the sky. "'Suddenly I became that dry leaf; and suddenly I understood the Way of Heaven. No longer was I separate from Heaven, but I was a part of Heaven. Wherever Heaven went, I went. "'If it changed its mind, I changed my wind. If it stopped, I stopped. If it flowed, I flowed. And that is how I found the Way'." In other words, learn to relax and go with nature. It isn't going to change. In the years ahead, as the environmental impacts of "fighting" nature in everything from autos to massive dams become disasters, the wisdom of Lao Tzu will be increasingly evident . . . .. and perhaps even heeded, perhaps not too late. Can we change the world before then? Not by arguing for change, says Lao Tzu, who adds, "A good man doesn't prove by arguing, and he who argues isn't good." Life is more of a good example than a good kick in the seat of the pants. Now, having been thus warned, my words conclude that everyone who reads this book will be improved.

This is an incredible book, beautifully presented. It gives the reader an insight of the wonderful teachings of the Tao Te Ching.