8.6 /10 1 Votes
4.4/5 Barnes & Noble Language English ISBN 978-0-439-33911-7 Dewey Decimal [E] 22 Page count 40 | 4.2/5 Goodreads Country United States Pages 40 OCLC 53084041 Originally published 1 March 2005 Illustrator Jon J Muth | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Awards Caldecott Medal, Book Sense Book of the Year Award: Children's Illustrated Genres Children's literature, Picture book Similar Jon J Muth books, Caldecott Medal winners, Picture books | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Zen Shorts is a 2005 children's picture book by Jon J. Muth. The book was followed by Zen Ties in 2008.
Contents
Zen shorts digital read aloud by ved
Plot
Three children, Karl, Michael and Addy, encounter a panda named Stillwater. The panda carries a red umbrella and speaks in a "slight panda accent". For the next three days, the three kids visit Stillwater. The panda rewards each with instructive anecdotes.
Reception
Bruno Navasky, of The New York Times, reviewed the book saying, "Muth attributes the third to a Taoist tradition, but for me it calls to mind most vividly the popular picture book Fortunately, by Remy Charlip, with whom Muth has also worked. In any case, the cultural blurrings won't reduce the pleasure with which this book is received, and most children would surely vouchsafe Jon Muth the pleasure of a one-handed round of applause for his elegant tale." A Kirkus Reviews review says, "The Buddha lurks in the details here: Every word and image comes to make as perfect a picture book as can be." A Publishers Weekly review says, "Readers will fall easily into the rhythm of visits to Stillwater and his storytelling sessions, and many more will fall in love with the panda, whose shape and size offer the children many opportunities for cuddling."