Boy on the Lion Throne: The Childhood of the 14 th Dalai Lama (review)

Abstract

Reviewed by: Boy on the Lion Throne: The Childhood of the 14th Dalai Lama Hope Morrison Kimmel, Elizabeth Cody. Boy on the Lion Throne: The Childhood of the 14th Dalai Lama. Flash Point/Roaring Brook, 2009 [160p]. illus. with photographs ISBN 978-1-59643-394-6 $18.95 R Gr. 3–6 This very approachable biography of the fourteenth Dalai Lama begins with the stuff of legend: several Buddhist monks, disguised as simple travelers, head out to a remote region of Tibet in search of a boy, Lhamo Thondup, whom they believe to be the reincarnation of the previous Dalai Lama. The boy, not yet three, passes their series of tests, correctly selecting objects that had belonged to the thirteenth Dalai Lama from a larger group of items, and Lhamo’s life is never to be the same. While the biography covers the Dalai Lama’s life from toddlerhood up to his flight into exile in his twenties, the emphasis here is definitely on his youth. Kimmel does a solid job of putting the reader into the shoes of the young lama, called Kundun, including personable details such as his desire to play instead of study (he loved to run and slide over the freshly polished floors of the palace) and his boyish delight in technology (he once took the palace’s hand-cranked car out for a covert spin and hit a tree). There is lots of information about Tibet presented within the biographical format, and this would serve equally well as an introductory background on the region and on the Free Tibet movement. Kimmel is reverent without being adulatory, and her explanation of the Dalai Lama’s relationship with Maoist China is presented in simple, clear language. This is a strange and fascinating story told in an engaging style, and young readers will find lots to keep them turning the pages. Archival photographs, a selected bibliography, and a list of online resources offer further information. Copyright © 2009 The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois