''Zen Shorts'' is a

2005 2005 was designated as the International Year for Sport and Physical Education and the International Year of Microcredit. The beginning of 2005 also marked the end of the International Decade of the World's Indigenous Peoples, Internationa ...

children's

picture book A picture book combines visual and verbal narratives in a book format, most often aimed at young children. With the narrative told primarily through text, they are distinct from comics, which do so primarily through sequential images. The ima ...

Jon J. Muth Jon is a shortened form of the common given name Jonathan, derived from "YHWH has given". The name is spelled Jón in Iceland and on the Faroe Islands. In the Nordic countries, it is derived from Johannes. Notable people * Jon Aaraas (born 1986 ...

. The picture book can be divided into three sections based on the three stories told in the book. The illustrations in the book are created using the watercolor and ink drawing techniques, which were created by Jon J. Muth himself. The book was followed by '' Zen Ties'' in

2008 2008 was designated as: *International Year of Languages *International Year of Planet Earth *International Year of the Potato *International Year of Sanitation The Great Recession, a worldwide recession which began in 2007, continued throu ...

An animated series adaptation '' Stillwater'' was released on

Apple TV+ Apple TV+ is an American subscription over-the-top streaming service owned by Apple. The service launched on November 1, 2019, and it offers a selection of original production film and television series called Apple Originals. The service w ...

on December 4, 2020.

Plot

Three children, Karl, Michael and Addy, encounter a

giant panda The giant panda (''Ailuropoda melanoleuca''), also known as the panda bear or simply panda, is a bear species endemic to China. It is characterised by its white animal coat, coat with black patches around the eyes, ears, legs and shoulders. ...

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 An anecdote is "a story with a point", such as to communicate an abstract idea about a person, place, or thing through the concrete details of a short narrative or to characterize by delineating a specific quirk or trait. Anecdotes may be real ...

. To Michael he tells a story about good and bad boundaries, he tells Addy a story about the value of material goods, and Karl a story on how to hold frustration. Two of them are from

Zen Buddhist Zen (; from Chinese: ''Chán''; in Korean: ''Sŏn'', and Vietnamese: ''Thiền'') is a Mahayana Buddhist tradition that developed in China during the Tang dynasty by blending Indian Mahayana Buddhism, particularly Yogacara and Madhyamaka phil ...

literature and the other story is from

Taoism Taoism or Daoism (, ) is a diverse philosophical and religious tradition indigenous to China, emphasizing harmony with the Tao ( zh, p=dào, w=tao4). With a range of meaning in Chinese philosophy, translations of Tao include 'way', 'road', ' ...

. The stories illustrate the importance of

meditation Meditation is a practice in which an individual uses a technique to train attention and awareness and detach from reflexive, "discursive thinking", achieving a mentally clear and emotionally calm and stable state, while not judging the meditat ...

, and encourage readers to think about things that may be hard to imagine. They have strong themes about open-mindedness, compassion, and not getting too upset about things. The name of the first story "Uncle Ry and the Moon" is a reference to the Zen hermit

Ryokan Taigu A is a type of traditional Japanese inn that typically features '' tatami''-matted rooms, communal baths, and other public areas where visitors may wear nemaki and talk with the owner. Ryokan have existed since the eighth century A.D. d ...

. In it, Uncle Ry lives in a lonely place, and finds a thief in his house. Taking pity on the poverty of the thief, Ry gives him his own robe, his only possession. The next story is the Taoist story of "The Farmer's Luck", where what first appears to be bad luck turns out to be good luck, and vice versa. The final story "A Heavy Load" is a version of a Zen story of two monks who meet a woman unable to cross some water. The older monk carries the woman across, but she fails to thank him. The young monk broods on the incident, but the older one says, "I set the woman down hours ago. Why are you still carrying her?"

Reception

Bruno Navasky, of ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

'', 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 Abraham Remy Charlip (January 10, 1929 – August 14, 2012) was an American artist, writer, choreographer, theatre director, theatrical designer, and teacher. He wrote or illustrated more than 40 children's books. Life and career Charlip w ...

, 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 ''Kirkus Reviews'' is an American book review magazine founded in 1933 by Virginia Kirkus. The magazine's publisher, Kirkus Media, is headquartered in New York City. ''Kirkus Reviews'' confers the annual Kirkus Prize to authors of fiction, no ...

'' 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 ''Publishers Weekly'' (''PW'') is an American weekly trade news magazine targeted at publishers, librarians, booksellers, and literary agents. Published continuously since 1872, it has carried the tagline, "The International News Magazine of ...

'' review says that "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".Zen Shorts
(book review), ''Publishers Weekly'', 2005-02-28, Vol. 252 Issue 9, p66-67. ''Zen Shorts'' spent 41 weeks on the New York Times bestseller list.

Adaptations

In 2012, ''Zen Shorts'' was adapted into a stage play of the same name by Elizabeth Wong. It was directed by Sean Cawelti and John Norbori, and produced by the Rogue Artists Ensemble. An animated children's television adaptation titled '' Stillwater'', produced by Gaumont and

Scholastic Entertainment Scholastic Corporation is an American multinational publishing, education, and media company that publishes and distributes books, comics, and educational materials for schools, teachers, parents, children, and other educational institutions. P ...

for

, was released on December 4, 2020.

Awards

* 2006 Book Sense Book of the Year Awards *

Caldecott Honor The Randolph Caldecott Medal, frequently shortened to just the Caldecott, annually recognizes the preceding year's "most distinguished American picture book for children". It is awarded to the illustrator by the Association for Library Service ...

American Library Association
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References

{{Reflist Picture books American picture books 2005 children's books Caldecott Honor–winning works Giant pandas in popular culture Children's books about bears Children's books adapted into television shows