Kind Karl - by Sharon Salzberg & Jason Gruhl (Hardcover)

About the Book

One of America's most popular Buddhist teachers distills more than 25 years of teaching and practicing meditation into a series of short essays, rich with anecdotes and personal revelations, that offer genuine aid and comfort for anyone on the spiritual path.

Book Synopsis

A grumpy crocodile learns what good can come when he chooses kindness in this adorable picture book for kids ages 4-8.

With everyday examples, approachable language, and adorable illustrations, adults will love introducing kids to mindfulness and meditation, inspiring them to look inward with curiosity and kindness.

Karl is a crocodile who lives in Orlando. He loves cardigans, crepes, and combing his hair. And . . . he has a terrible temper! Full of lovable animal characters, this playful story is a children's adaptation of Sharon Salzberg's beloved book Lovingkindness: The Revolutionary Art of Happiness. Like the original, it asks the question, "Why does what we do, say, and care about make a difference?" The book explores how generosity and mindfulness contribute to a life of happiness and connection.

In today's divisive society, lovingkindness asks us to stop, find quiet, and look within; and in that honest reflection, answers appear. With relatable everyday examples, approachable language, and adorable illustrations, the book will inspire children to look inward with curiosity and kindness. By understanding what happiness feels like for themselves, they can realize how all people desire happiness.

The book includes accessible activities at the end to help kids and parents start a lovingkindness practice in their own lives.

From the Back Cover

In A Heart as Wide as the World, one of America's most popular Buddhist teachers offers a book of encouragement and inspiration for anyone on the spiritual path. In short sections that include many stories and anecdotes culled from her twenty-five years as a student and teacher of Buddhist meditation, Sharon Salzberg reveals how our own happiness is found in the capacity to open our hearts to others. And that this capacity is far more vast than we ever thought possible. Through meditation and the practice of lovingkindness, we can discover our intimate connection to those around us and to the world as a whole. This realization acts like a hidden storehouse of strength, allowing us to face whatever the world offers us with wisdom and compassion. In these pages, Sharon Salzberg shows us that our heart can be truly as wide as the world.

Review Quotes

"Sometimes the biggest emotional bite can come from being too hard on oneself."
--Publishers Weekly

"A great addition to elementary collections and a great way to introduce social-emotional learning practices."
--Booklist
"Practical, relatable, and fun, Kind Karl: A Little Crocodile with Big Feelings is a wonderful resource for teaching SEL."--The Children's Book Review

About the Author

Sharon Salzberg is one of America's leading spiritual teachers and authors. A practitioner of Buddhist meditation for over thirty years, she is a co-founder of the Barre Center for Buddhist Studies and the Insight Meditation Society, and she directs meditation retreats throughout the United States and abroad. She is the New York Times-bestselling author of Real Happiness, Lovingkindness, and Real Change.