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Loading... Zen Shorts (2005)by Jon J. Muth
  
No current Talk conversations about this book.  daisycaudron | Feb 28, 2024 |   When Addy presents Stillwater with a small cake, he tells a story his uncle told him regarding a racoon that came in the house to steal his Unccle By's few possessions. Uncle By does not have anything to give, but because everyone who visits must leave with a gift, he gave the racoon the robe he was wearing. The thought he must be crazy while he ran out the door with the robe. Uncle By sat and looked at the beautiful silvery mon and thought "Poor Man," "All I had to give him was my tattered robe. If only I could have given him this wonderful moon!" The story proceeds with short stories of tuning sad things into happy occurrences. One day when the children were playing in a pool of water filled with so many inflatable toys that they crowded out the water. His brother noted that Karl always does this -- brings too many things. As they emplied the pool, leaving only themselves, they had fun playing as Stillwater had bathing trunks on. As Still water helped take the inflatable toys, he told the brother that he spent all day being mad at Karl rather than enjoying the fun they had. The title of the book, Zen Shorts notes that the bear wears shorts and he tells Zen short stories of goodness and happiness. What a wonderful story to teach both children and adults tht holding on to things does not necesasarilly bring happiness. (  ) Whisper1 | Feb 8, 2024 | Still, the illustrations are great and I'm holding out hope that someday someone will actually invent magic Zen shorts you can wear that make everything all Zen. (  ) LibrarianDest | Jan 3, 2024 |  ) AvANvN | Oct 17, 2023 |  ) AlissaAnneMay | Feb 19, 2022 |
Limpidly beautiful watercolors and a wry, puckish gentleness mark these three Zen stories, one for each of three children. Michael, Karl and Addy discover a giant panda in their backyard. (“He spoke with a slight panda accent.”) His name is Stillwater, and he tells Addy the tale of his Uncle Ry, who gave the robber who could find nothing to steal in his house his own tattered robe. (The robber, in the black-and-white illustrations that mark the three stories, is a raccoon.) When Michael comes to visit, he climbs a tree to sit with Stillwater, who tells the story of the farmer’s luck. Karl comes to visit carrying too much stuff for Stillwater’s wading pool, and hears just the right story for him. The pictures are as full of peace and solace—and humor—as the text: The title page has the panda dancing in a pair of oversize shorts; the cake Addy brings for tea has a stalk of bamboo in it for Stillwater; Karl and the panda bow to each other at the end of their day. The Buddha lurks in the details here: Every word and image comes to make as perfect a picture book as can be. (author’s note) (Picture book. 5-9) Addy, Michael, and Karl meet Stillwater the giant panda when he enters their yard to retrieve his breeze-blown umbrella. In their subsequent one-on-one visits to Stillwater's house, the siblings enjoy short stories from the Zen and Taoist practices told by Stillwater. Though the children's interaction with Stillwater instigates the telling of each story, these tales connect only tenuously with the frame narrative, and their primary purpose seems more to provide food for thought than to offer resolution to the problems presented in the frame story. Indeed, as explained in an author's note, these shorts are traditionally used to guide meditation rather than to entertain. In keeping with the intention of the text, the line-and-watercolor illustrations display a meditative balance of color and smoothness of movement--figures in motion appear to float in the lemon and azure air, even as their bodies retain a decided weight. Images of climbing and bouncing figures emphasize that ethereality, which, when combined with the delicately expressive human and panda forms, positions the visual effect of the illustrations halfway between realism and surrealism. The art for the internal short stories is given in dramatic black ink sketches, the strikingly energetic elements silhouetted against white or white and a single pastel. In spite of the quality of the illustrations, peaceful reflection is not an easy sell to picture-book aficionados, so the contemplative text limits the youthful audience to those who have strong interests in this aspect of Asian culture or those with impressive powers of concentration. A note explains more about Zen and Muth's specific inspirations. Stories within a story give readers many layers to enjoy and explore. Jon Muth writes about three siblings with a new neighbor -- a giant panda named Stillwater with the wisdom of an ancient Buddhist monk. Stillwater doesn't lead his listeners to any conclusions, which guarantees that each reading can lead to new ideas and epiphanies. The beautiful watercolor and ink illustrations are -- like the stories they accompany -- deceptively simple. But a careful examination will reveal small details that reinforce the Asian inspiration. On the last page, Muth gives more details about Zen, the real people behind his imaginary characters, and shares the origins of the stories. Kids who are ready to think about complicated ideas about justice, kindness, and retribution will value the book, and even younger kids who just want entertainment will be pleased. Belongs to SeriesZen (1) AwardsNotable Lists
When Stillwater the bear moves into the neighborhood, the stories he tells to three siblings teach them to look at the world in new ways. No library descriptions found. 
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 Google Books — Loading...GenresMelvil Decimal System (DDC)813Literature English (North America) American fictionLC ClassificationRatingAverage: (4.35)
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Wikipedia in English (2)
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Jon J Muth, author of the best-selling book, The Three Questions, has crafted another profound and winning picture book.
"Michael," said Karl. "There's a really big bear in the backyard." This is how three children meet Stillwater, a giant panda who moves into the neighborhood and tells amazing tales. To Addy he tells a story about the value of material goods. To Michael he pushes the boundaries of good and bad. And to Karl he demonstrates what it means to hold on to frustration. With graceful art and simple stories that are filled with love and enlightenment, Jon Muth — and Stillwater the bear — present three ancient Zen tales that are sure to strike a chord in everyone they touch.