Reading order
| # | Title | Published | Author | Buy on Amazon |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ziji: The Puppy Who Learned to Meditate | 2009 | Torey Hayden | Buy |
| 2 | Ziji and the Very Scary Man | 2018 | Torey Hayden | Buy |
The Ziji picture books are a collaboration between Torey Hayden and Yongey Mingyur Rinpoche, a Tibetan Buddhist monk and meditation teacher. The two met in 2006 and talked about how young children pick up meditation more easily than adults. That conversation led to Ziji: The Puppy Who Learned to Meditate (2009), which follows a noisy, bouncy puppy named Ziji who lives with the Anderson family. One day in the park, Ziji sees a boy named Nico sitting peacefully and becomes curious about what makes him so calm.
Ziji and the Very Scary Man (2018) continues the story with Ziji facing something that frightens him and learning how meditation can help with fear. Both books are aimed at children ages 4 to 8 and include an appendix for parents and teachers with practical suggestions for introducing meditation to young children. The illustrations are by Charity Larrison.