THE THREE QUESTIONS (based on a story by Leo Tolstoy) by Jon J. Muth
"Muth recasts a short story by Tolstoy into picture-book format, substituting a boy and his animal friends for the czar and his human companions. Yearning to be a good person, Nikolai asks, "When is the best time to do things? Who is the most important one? What is the right thing to do?" Sonya the heron, Gogol the monkey and Pushkin the dog offer their opinions, but their answers do not satisfy Nikolai. He visits Leo, an old turtle who lives in the mountains. While there, he helps Leo with his garden and rescues an injured panda and her cub, and in so doing, finds the answers he seeks. Moral without being moralistic, the tale sends a simple and direct message unfreighted by pomp or pedantry."
- Publisher's Weekly
PUBLISHER: Scholastic Press 2002
Children’s Books | The New York Times | By Elizabeth Spires
”THERE have always been for me a small handful of children's books that if taken to heart can be quietly life-changing …Now, happily, along comes ''The Three Questions,'' by Jon J. Muth, to add to my list.
Readers of all ages will be drawn to ''The Three Questions.'' While the deeper philosophical implications of the story may sail over the heads of younger children, they will delight, nevertheless, in the charming but dignified anthropomorphic demeanor of Sonya, Gogol, Pushkin and Leo. For older children, the story dramatizes the common fantasy of heroically coming to the rescue of people (or pandas) in need of help. And busy adults will be struck by Leo's simple injunction to be in the present moment, always the most important one.
Muth has succeeded in pushing the narrative boundaries of the conventional picture book to include the essential philosophical and moral dimension of Tolstoy's original tale. In lesser hands, the result might have been leaden indeed. But Muth's simple, straightforward narrative, amplified by exquisite watercolor paintings, easily carries the story's abstract dimension. ''The Three Questions'' presents a world of moral consequence and choice, where questions of right and wrong must be puzzled out and where each person's actions really do make a difference. Young and old readers alike will take heart from that.”
Kirkus Review
“Nikolai wants to be a good person but believes that he needs guidance. He has three important philosophical questions: “When is the best time to do things? Who is the most important one? What is the right thing to do?” The answers will set him on the right path in life. He first asks his friends the heron, the monkey, and the dog, but their answers are colored by their own survival needs, and are helpful but not definitive. He goes to Leo the turtle, who is old and very wise. Nikolai’s experiences while visiting Leo help him to find his own answers. Leo only needs to put them in words. Muth has created a magical work of depth and beauty. The deceptively simple plot is written in language that is filled with visual and auditory imagery, and yet remains accessible to young readers. The delicate watercolor paintings are exquisite. As for the answers to Nikolai’s questions: they’re just right. A soaring achievement.”
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DRAFT: Kostyk Communications, Inc. | Media Asset Management Associates | August 2019