The Three Questions [Based on a story by Leo Tolstoy]
Nikolai is a boy who believes that if he can find the answers to his  three questions, he will always know how to be a good person. His friends--a  heron, a monkey, and a dog--try to help, but to no avail, so he asks Leo, the  wise old turtle. "When is the best time to do things? Who is the most important  one? What is the right thing to do?" Leo doesn't answer directly, but by the end  of Nikolai's visit, the boy has discovered the answers himself.Award-winning illustrator Jon J Muth's lovely watercolors are the most appealing  aspect of this book about compassion and living in the moment. The simple  Zen-based profundity of the boy's philosophical exploration may escape young  readers, but they will enjoy the tale of a child who, in doing good deeds (for a  panda and her baby, no less!), finds inner peace. Muth based his story on a  short story of the same title by Leo Tolstoy. (Ages 5 to 9)--Emilie  Coulter