THE LITTLE STONE BUDDHA

A lost Buddha statue’s eternal smile brings a community together.

“Nobody saw him,” this toppled-over Little Stone Buddha, trapped under garbage dumped between two tall buildings. Though all he can see is the sky, his smile remains. Busy feet “thrump-bump-shuffle-shuffle” past him until a small girl stops to whisper hello. Despite her mother’s protestations, she rights the Buddha and places him atop some discarded wood. His smile inspires a passerby to pick up nearby empty cans, then a group of boys to haul away some of the junk. A woman leaves flowers; a couple shelter him with an umbrella. Small acts of kindness multiply until the community transforms the Buddha’s surroundings into a vibrant haven, welcoming all. Caldecott Honor and Newbery Honor–winning Lin blends warmly matter-of-fact prose with a masterful sense of composition; she opens her picture book in muted spreads, heavy with drab colors, her narrative set in motion even before the title page as a bag-laden bicyclist inadvertently drops the statue into the accumulated garbage heaps. Each act of kindness contributes further vibrancy until the later spreads burst with inviting brightness. Lin’s author’s note (with colorful photographs!) reveals the tale’s origins: She drew inspiration from a favorite childhood book—Virginia Lee Burton’s The Little House—intertwining it with the true story of a Buddha statue that similarly transformed a community in Oakland, California. Her characters gloriously reflect the city’s diversity.

A gorgeous, heartwarming reminder of the transformative power of collaboration.