Sometimes referred to as birth stories, Jataka tales are accounts of the previous lives of the Buddha in various animal and human forms. They have been absorbed into the folklore of many countries. Jataka takes have many similarities with the Panchatantra and Aesop's Fables.

The Brave Little Parrot
(Putnam, 1998)
Retold by Rafe Martin
Illustrated Susan Gaber

Foolish Rabbit's Big Mistake
(Putnam, 1985)
Retold by Rafe Martin
Illustrated by Ed Young

I Once Was a Monkey: Stories Buddha Told
(Farrar, 1999)
Retold and illustrated by Jeanne M. Lee