Zen Shorts

BIBLIOGRAPHY:
Muth, John J. 2005. Zen shorts. Ill. by John J. Muth. Scholastic Press: New York. ISBN 0439339111

A giant panda, named Stillwater, moves in next door to children, Addy, Michael and Karl. He captures their attention by sitting in their backyard after following his red umbrella from his backyard to their backyard. They become fast friends. Stillwater shares three Zen stories with the children in their time together. In his first story to Addy, Stillwater shares the story his uncle Ry, who took pity on his house burglar and gave him his only possession. With Michael, Stillwater shares the story of a farmer, who is not upset or excited at how his luck turns out on a daily basis. Stillwater’s last story shared with Karl was titled, A Heavy Load. In a Heavy Load, two monks discuss a rude young woman and her selfishness. The older monk had taken it upon himself to help her across a puddle, for which she was not grateful. The younger monk was the only one of the two still brooding about her selfish and rude behavior hours after the incident.

When I read through this story for the first time, I was put off by how non-linear the storyline turned out. There was no obvious plot. The end of the book contains an author’s note that put the book in perspective for me. The author explains that “ ‘Zen Shorts’ are short meditations – ideas to puzzle over – tools which hone our ability to act with intuition. The have no goal, but they often challenge us to reexamine our habits, desires, concepts and fears.”


REVIEW EXCERPT(S):

Review from SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL: February 01, 2005
Beautifully illustrated in two distinct styles, this book introduces readers to a Zen approach to the world, wrapped in a story about three siblings and their new neighbor, a panda. One by one, the children visit Stillwater, enjoying his company and listening to him tell a brief tale that illustrates a Zen principle.

Review from PUBLISHERS WEEKLY: February 28, 2005
Muth, who has retold traditional stories such as Stone Soup and Tolstoy's The Three Questions, and played up their spiritual elements with his elegant watercolors, here introduces three Zen stories from Japan. He frames the trio of tales within the context of a suburban household. Three siblings befriend a giant panda when his red umbrella blows into their yard. … Each day one of the children goes to visit Stillwater, revealing something of him- or herself. The panda chooses an appropriate Zen fable for each child, illustrated with rough-edged, Chinese-style brush-and-ink paintings on duotone pages, to play up the story-within-a-story structure.