CBR 15 BINGO: Guide, because this is a guide for calm. (The dedication reads, “This book is dedicated to everyone who gets lost.”)
I was given a copy of Big Panda and Tiny Dragon for Christmas last year, and I opened it with some trepidation. My last foray into self-help territory didn’t go well, if you recall. However, I was pretty sure I could at least finish this one, given that it includes cute pictures of a panda and a tiny dragon.
Self-help isn’t really the right category for this. This book is more of a way for you to slow down and create a sense of calm. It’s divided into five sections: Spring, Summer, Autumn, Winter, and back to Spring again. The Big Panda and the Tiny Dragon travel around together and say poignant things, sort of Pooh and Piglet style, but with even more Buddhism. Example: “That tree has been through some rough times,” said Tiny Dragon. “Yes, ” said Big Panda, “but it’s still here, and it has gained strength and beauty.” Or, “Sometimes it’s good to head out, with no idea where you are going.” “This garden is beautiful,” said Tiny Dragon. Big Panda nodded. “And we only found it because we went the wrong way so many times.” You get the idea.
It sounds kind of silly now when I am writing this review, but I really did enjoy this book. I might have rolled my eyes at it a big more if it didn’t have such lovely illustrations (also by James Norbury). It provides sound-bite wisdom, to be sure, but it does it with sincerity and without the smugness of a self-help guru trying to tell you what to do with your life.
This is a lovely gift book for someone in your life who needs to slow down a bit. As Big Panda says, “Time doing nothing is never wasted.”
