Zen Shorts (Caldecott Honor Book)
List Price:
Our Price: $7.20
You Save: $10.79 (60%)
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Buy Used: from $5.12 (click here)
Category: Book
See more book details and other editions
Book Summary Information
Illustrator: Jon J MuthEdition: Hardcover
Published: 2005-03-01
ISBN: 0439339111
Number of pages: 40
Reading Level: Ages 4-8
Publisher: Scholastic Press
Book Reviews of Zen Shorts (Caldecott Honor Book)
Book Review: great for philosphy enthusiasts of all ages (and anyone who likes large pandas)
Summary: 5 Stars
Zen Shorts is a picture book written and illustrated by Jon J. Muth. But it's also a short story collection. And it's also a philosophy book. And it has a giant panda. Oh, and it is a Caldecott Honor book too.
The story starts when siblings Addy, Michael, and Karl meet Stillwater, a large Panda who wanders into their backyard to retrieve his umbrella. I love the opening scenes of the story. Karl, the youngest sibling, is looking out a window and telling Michael he sees a huge bear. Eventually all of the kids go out and say hello to Stillwater. Addy introduces Karl, who is "shy around bears he doesn't know." I find that phrase so enchanting. This kind of charm continues throughout the book.
The next day Addy meets Stillwater for tea. Then Michael and Stillwater hang out. Then Karl goes swimming with Stillwater.
Each outing is accompanied by an appropriate short story. The first is about a man (panda) who gives a gift to a robber. Another is about a man who knows that luck is a many-faceted thing. The final story is about a monk carrying an unnecessary burden. I'll never explain the stories as well as Muth tells them, so you should just read the book.
The illustrations of Stillwater and the children are beautifully rendered watercolors. The coloring is subtle with quite intricate line work for the drawings. The stories between the "real" story are printed on pastel backgrounds and illustrated with silhouettes so that they have a clearly different look from the rest of the book.
When you're finished you should also check out the afterward which explains the underlying philosophy for each story. (Muth has a lot of Buddhist/Taoist influences.)
This is a great book to read with older children because even if they don't get the philosophy, the stories are approachable and they'll get something from it. (Even youngsters will enjoy the pictures.) It's a great introduction to philosophy, a fact that becomes clear after reading the afterward, for "students" of any age. Muth does an admirable job creating a picture book that children and grownups can enjoy together.
Children's Books
Book Subjects
- Arts & Photography
- Audiobooks on Cassette
- Audiobooks on CD
- Biographies & Memoirs
- Business & Investing
- Children's Books
- Comics & Graphic Novels
- Computers & Internet
- Cooking, Food & Wine
- e-Books
- Engineering
- Entertainment
- Gay & Lesbian
- Health, Mind & Body
- History
- Home & Garden
- Horror
- Law
- Literature & Fiction
- Medicine
- Mystery & Thrillers
- Nonfiction
- Outdoors & Nature
- Parenting & Families
- Professional & Technical
- Reference
- Religion & Spirituality
- Romance
- Science
- Science Fiction & Fantasy
- Sports
- Teens
- Travel
Most talked about in 2006 ALSC Notable Children's Books - Younger Readers
Squashed in the Middle (Ala Notable Children's Books. Younger Readers (Awards))by Elizabeth Winthrop
Henry Holt and Co. (BYR); Published: 2005-05-01; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $4.53
Price in other shops:
Leonardo, the Terrible Monster (Ala Notable Children's Books. Younger Readers (Awards))Hyperion Book CH; Published: 2005-09-01; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $6.48
Price in other shops:
Amanda Pig and the Really Hot Day (Easy-to-Read, Dial)by Jean Van Leeuwen
Dial; Published: 2005-05-19; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $4.49
Price in other shops:
Cowgirl Kate and Cocoaby Erica Silverman
Harcourt Children's Books; Published: 2005-04-01; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $2.86
Price in other shops:
White Is for Blueberry (Ala Notable Children's Books. Younger Readers (Awards))by George Shannon
Greenwillow; Published: 2005-04-01; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $5.75
Price in other shops:
Walter Was Worried (Ala Notable Children's Books. Younger Readers (Awards))by Laura Vaccaro Seeger
Roaring Brook Press; Published: 2005-09-01; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $3.82
Price in other shops:
Stars Beneath Your Bed: The Surprising Story of Dustby April Pulley Sayre
Greenwillow; Published: 2005-04-01; Library Binding; Book
Best price: $16.74
Price in other shops:
Henry and Mudge and the Great Grandpas (Henry and Mudge Ready-to-Read)by Cynthia Rylant
Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing; Published: 2005-04-26; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $4.74
Price in other shops:
Clara and Asha (Ala Notable Children's Books. Younger Readers (Awards))Roaring Brook Press; Published: 2005-08-01; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $2.88
Price in other shops:
And Tango Makes Threeby Peter Parnell, Justin Richardson
Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing; Published: 2005-04-26; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $6.40
Price in other shops:
Similar books summaries and other product reviews
Song of the Water Boatman and Other Pond Poems (Caldecott Honor Book, BCCB Blue Ribbon Nonfiction Book Award)by Joyce Sidman
Houghton Mifflin; Published: 2005-04-04; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $5.24
Price in other shops:
Gone Wild (Caldecott Honor Book)Walker Books for Young Readers; Published: 2006-09-05; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $9.46
Price in other shops:
Kitten's First Full MoonGreenwillow; Published: 2004-03; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $8.82
Price in other shops:
Stone SoupScholastic Press; Published: 2003-03-01; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $8.83
Price in other shops:
Flotsam (Caldecott Medal Book)by David Wiesner
Clarion Books; Published: 2006-09-04; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $10.12
Price in other shops:
The Hello, Goodbye Windowby Norton Juster
Michael Di Capua Books; Published: 2005-05-01; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $6.79
Price in other shops:
The Red Book (Caldecott Honor Book)by Barbara Lehman
Houghton Mifflin; Published: 2004-09-27; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $7.60
Price in other shops:
What Do You Do with a Tail Like This? (Caldecott Honor Book)by Robin Page, Steve Jenkins
Houghton Mifflin; Published: 2003-03-25; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $8.97
Price in other shops:
Zen Tiesby Jon J Muth
Scholastic Press; Published: 2008-02-01; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $10.38
Price in other shops:
The Three Questionsby Jon J. Muth
Scholastic Press; Published: 2002-04-01; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $6.80
Price in other shops: