Zen Shorts

Muth, J.J. (2005). Zen Shorts. New York, NY: Scholastic Press.

This picture book is the story of how three children, Addy, Michael and Karl meet a Zen-master panda bear named Stillwater. Stillwater moves in next door, and each child comes to him with different philosophies, problems or worries, and to each, he gives them a Zen story that puts things in a new perspective. To Addy, who bakes him a cake, he tells the story of a poor man who gives gifts to a robber. To Michael, who is a worrier, he tells a story of a farmer who knows that good luck and bad luck are all a matter of perspective. And to Karl, who is the youngest and holding on to hurt feelings, Stillwater shares the story of “The Heavy Load,” and encourages him to put down his burdens to make room for lighter feelings.

Having shared this book at a first grade readaloud, I found that this age group of six and seven year olds had a lot to share about the stories and pictures. They found the story of Uncle Ry wishing he could give the robber the beautiful moon very romantic. Several agreed that putting down injustices was something they probably needed to work on, just like Karl and the young monk from “The Heavy Load.” Even the students who had read the book before hadn’t noticed the calligraphy in “The Farmer’s Luck.” They really got a discussion going, which I thought was remarkable. I personally love this book because for any age group, it’s helpful to have a short meditation that helps make “different” sense out of our situations. I know I can hold on to blame like a dog with a bone, and the admonishment of the old monk, “Why are you still carrying her?” hits home whenever I think on it.

Jon Muth’s illustrations are not necessarily detailed, but somehow he still captures the essence of expression; no one looks more quietly annoyed than Stillwater with a pool full of sharks and floaties. Muth said, “I love stories. I love what language does. It’s the finger pointing at the moon, the truth. That’s what my pictures have to do as well” (Marcotte, 2015). His watercolors of the children and the panda bear playing together create soaring treescapes and hilarious wading pool scenarios (Stillwater wears fat pants!). Stillwater’s stories though, are done in ink brushwork, calligraphy trees and landscapes with cartoonish animals enacting the short Zen story. I think it could be a fun book to drop into a curriculum about religions, mindfulness, calligraphy art class, Chinese or Japanese culture…it’s very versatile.

Reference

Marcotte, A. (2015). Zen and the art of Jon Muth. “American Libraries. Retrieved from https://americanlibrariesmagazine.org/blogs/the-scoop/zen-and-art-jon-muth/