I Once Was a Monkey: Stories Buddha Told by: Jeanne Lee (folk literature)

This book contains six Jatakas (stories) that give lessons of honesty, wisdom, and truth. Similar to "Aesop's Fables" (focus on philosophy of morality), these stories are through the perspective of Buddha that are especially popular in India. Each story begins with Buddha's reincarnation into a new organism (monkey, tree, golden antelope, ect). The stories' were ones that were said Buddha told his disciples in his teachings. While the stories' themes are central for children of all ages, the text and illustrations also give informational insight into religions outside of Christianity.

I would use this book after I have introduced and read several folk tales with the class. I would read one Jataka from this book aloud to the whole class and discuss the author's message. Students will share the stories relate to their life, while analyzing the characters' conflict, motives, and solution. I would then make copies of the remaining 5 Jatakas and allow students to choose which they would like to read independently (students could work in pairs). To emphasize conceptual and structural understanding, I would then ask students to create a venn-diagram of how to compare and contrast the stories between "Aesop's Fables" and the Jatakas found in "I Once was a Monkey".