Author: Jon J Muth (Illustrator)

Publisher: Scholastic Press

Pub. in: March, 2005

ISBN: 0439339111

Pages: 40

Measurements: 11.2 x 11.0 x 0.4 inches

Origin of product: USA

Order code: BC00209

Other information:  

A winner of Caldecott Honor Book
A New York Times Bestseller
A Quill Award nominee

A panda appears in the backyard of three children. He is holding a large red umbrella and is extraordinarily polite. The book notes that he "spoke with a slight panda accent". With this initial meeting, the children slowly befriend their new neighbor, Stillwater. When Addy comes to his home with a housewarming gift, Stillwater returns the favor with the gift of a small story about his Uncle Ry. Michael visits the panda at the top of a tall tree. There they discuss, with the help of another story, what luck is and how a person can never really know what is going to happen to them next. Karl, the youngest of the three, brings too many toys to swim with in Stillwater's wading pool. At the end of the day, the two have had a good time, but Karl has wasted much of it by being mad at his older brother. On the way home, Stillwater tells a tale of letting go of what you cannot change. The final image is of Karl perched triumphantly on Stillwater's paw as Addy and Michael look on bemusedly. An Author's Note follows, wherein Mr. Muth defines "Zen" and explains that this book is a grouping of "Zen shorts". These stories are intended to, "hone our ability to act with intuition".

Zen Shorts is a book about three siblings in a happy white upper middle class suburb who meet a Buddhist Master in the form of a Panda named Stillwater. Through their friendships with Stillwater, he imparts wise and concise lessons derived from historical figures and common tales in Zen Buddhism. In each case, one of the children approaches Stillwater and eventually he tells them a story. Addy and Stillwater share cake and a story about giving and sharing, as well as the beauty of nature in the world that we all share. Stillwater teaches the middle child Michel that everything has a purpose and that change is constant and not always bad. And the youngest Karl learns that no one can hurt you without your permission and to let the little things go because resentment wastes time. The three stories-within-the-story are meant to bring enlightenment, something like the parables in the New Testament. The short tales address the existence of good and bad luck, the nature of frustration and forgiveness, and the role of material possessions. Though the stories ask the reader to slow down and think about the nature of life, these are not morality tales. The three stories Stillwater tells in Zen Shorts are his gift to the children and to us, the readers. Gently philosophical, the stories are actually short meditations from two Zen traditions, Zen Buddhism and Taoism. In an accompanying Author’s Note, Muth explains Zen and the origins of the stories. Even the name of the bear has a root in Zen, which values meditation and being still as key routes to understanding.

Stylistically, the art on this book is gorgeous. Muth illustrates most of the plot in brilliantly colored but complex watercolors. The use of texture for grass and clouds gives them a three-dimensional feel, particularly when Michael and Stillwater look at the clouds in an expansive two-page illustration. There is a sharp contrast between these beautiful mellow watercolors and the sharp thick black ink brush drawings that illustrate the particular little stories. These drawings are far simpler and focus mostly on the main animal characters themselves, and this serves to highlight the profound simplicity of the lessons they teach. Muth says in his afterward that he wanted to "challenge us to examine our habits, desires, concepts, and fears" and in this task he clearly succeeds.

Target readers: Kids aged 9-12

Better with Mary Poppins (Odyssey Classics) :

			2 Buy with : ¥ 246.00
			Quantity:  +112345678910