Andrea Miller
Andrea Miller is an editor at Lion’s Roar magazine. She has edited three anthologies, including Buddha’s Daughters, and is the author of Baby’s First Book of Canadian Birds. She lives in Nova Scotia with her husband and two children.
Books, Courses & Podcasts
The Day the Buddha Woke Up
The Day the Buddha Woke Up is a board book that will captivate children of all ages. It’s the perfect way to introduce young children to the story of the Buddha—the clear, gracefully written story puts the Buddha’s awakening into language children can understand.
The simple arc of the Buddha’s questions, his quest, and his ultimate understanding will provide a meaningful and peaceful story that children—and their parents!—will love returning to again and again.
Related Content
The Brave Little Parrot
How can you save a burning forest with just sprinkles of water? This timeless Buddhist tale may just have the answer!
In this ancient tale of one of the Buddha’s past lives, the Buddha is born as a little gray parrot who takes it upon herself to save her beloved forest home from a raging fire.
Even though she can only sprinkle drops of water onto the blaze . . .
. . . her perseverance, courage, and compassion change everything, eventually saving the forest in an unexpected way.
Zen teacher and acclaimed storyteller Rafe Martin is joined by the award-winning illustrator Demi to render this centuries-old classic into a beautiful and timeless tale that will inspire all of us to find our own bravery and to act selflessly for the benefit of all.
The Secret of the Sand Castles
The Secret of the Sand Castles is a timeless Buddhist tale about the things that matter most: truth, generosity, compassion, and love.
When a group of children are having a playful day at the beach, the fun of building sand castles is forgotten when they start arguing about whose castle is best. While fighting over “I,” “me,” and “mine,” they end up destroying and abandoning the castles they so carefully constructed.
The timely arrival of a magical wise man teaches the children that unlike the sand castles, it is the things we can’t see that really matter most.
Lumi
Lumi is a gorgeously illustrated adventure story and a powerful lesson in the magic of helping others.
Meet Lumi, a tiny radiant being on a mission to spread kindness in the universe. Join her on a heroic journey as she searches for ways to help other beings, and finds that sometimes, she needs help, too!
Endlessly imaginative and lushly illustrated, Lumi is a celebration of the good heart in the littlest ones among us. Come along with Lumi as she shares her light with flower fairies, frozen warriors, a star-stealing monster, and a colony of stranded sea squirts—and discovers that we’re all actually radiant, shining brightly together.
Visit Lumiverse to learn more and to hear Lumi’s very own song!
A Peaceful Piggy’s Guide to Sickness and Death, Sadness and Love
When someone we love gets sick, we little piggies worry! It can feel scary when a person we care about is sick or in a hospital. Luckily, there is one good thing we peaceful piggies can do: meditate.
This is a story about love.
Experiencing a loved one’s illness or death is challenging for both children and their grownups. With three distinct sections to choose from—when someone we love is sick, dying, or has died—this guide will help you easily find soothing and practical mindfulness activities focused on what your young one needs in order to guide them through their big emotions and questions. These practices will help calm and empower children—and their grownups—as they discover they can still be with their loved ones through their heart connection, no matter where they are.
Click here for an animated video based on the story.
I See You, Buddha
An instant classic, this book will help children (and their parents) learn patience and to see the good in everyone—including themselves! It will also help children meet difficult circumstances, such as being sick, doing chores, and not getting everything they want—and help them overcome low self-esteem and negative self-talk.
I See You, Buddha is based on a chapter in the Lotus Sutra, one of the most influential Buddhist texts worldwide—a classical scripture that has inspired a whole genre of works, especially in Japan, known as Lotus Literature. The Lotus Sutra teaches the way of the bodhisattva—a being engaged in compassionate, enlightened activity in the service of all—by offering examples of what this activity might look like in the world. One such model in the text is Bodhisattva Never Disrespectful (or Never Disparaging), who, despite troubling encounters with and even harsh treatment from others, bows down respectfully to everyone, recognizing their Buddha nature and honoring their own journeys along the bodhisattva path to enlightenment—whether they know they’re future buddhas or not!
Listen to author Josh Bartok as he reads I See You, Buddha in this video reading.
Peaceful Piggy Bedtime
“It’s time to go to sleep, but some friends are sleepy, and some are not. Some are already nodding off, and some want to bounce around. Now it’s time to go from busy to peaceful. These mindful bedtime exercises will help us have a good night’s sleep.”
Bedtime can be a joy; a quiet time, a nice cuddle—a sleepy angel. Bedtime can also be a challenge; riled energy, hidden anxieties—a restless little monster! This book draws on modern science and time-tested wisdom to provide children with an effective bedtime ritual to relax the body, settle the mind, and drift into a peaceful sleep. Parents may find they sleep better, too!
