Zen Shorts

When Stillwater the panda arrives in their backyard, clutching a red umbrella and speaking with a slight "panda accent," Addy, Michael and Karl aren't sure just what to make of their new neighbor. But as each of them find their way to Stillwater's house, they discover that this tranquil and wise bear has a gift for telling Zen tales that give them a better understanding of their own experiences.

The three embedded Zen stories, dealing with generosity and not getting too attached to material possessions, the variable nature of luck, and the importance of letting go of anger, are all engaging. But it is the framing narrative, the lovable Stillwater, and Jon J. Muth's beautiful watercolor illustrations that truly make this picture book show more extraordinary. This was a Caldecott Honor Book, and truly deserved the distinction... show less

Kindergarten-Grade 4 - 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. Each time, there is a link between the conversation shared by Stillwater and his visitor and the story he tells; it's somewhat tenuous in regard to the two older siblings, quite specific in the case of Karl, the youngest. The tales invite the children to consider the world and their perceptions from a different angle; for Karl, the panda's story gently but pointedly teaches the benefits of show more forgiveness. Richly toned and nicely detailed watercolors depict the "real world" scenes, while those accompanying the Zen lessons employ black lines and strokes on pastel pages to create an interesting blend of Western realism and more evocative Japanese naturalism. Taken simply as a picture book, Zen Shorts is interesting and visually lovely. As an introduction to Zen, it is a real treat, employing familiar imagery to prod children to approach life and its circumstances in profoundly "un-Western" ways. An author's note discusses the basic concept of Zen and details the sources of Stillwater's stories. Appealing enough for a group read-aloud, but also begging to be shared and discussed by caregiver and child, Zen Shorts is a notable achievement. show less

Zen shorts is a picture book about knowing oneself and challenging what one knows. It explores 3 Zen tales that tell the truths of life.I liked Zen Shorts for 3 reasons. First, even though the book is a fantasy the characters are believable and well developed. There is a giant panda that the 3 children in the story become friends with. The author makes the panda seem human-like by naming the panda Stillwater and saying he spoke with a "slight panda accent". This is important, because the children look up to him as a wise figure in their lives. Secondly, the plot is organized, engaging and different. When each of the children meet the panda he tell's them stories. Zen Shorts contains short stories within the overall book. For example, show more Stillwater tells Addy the story of Uncle Ry and the Moon. These short stories share wise words and life lessons that relate to the children's lives. Finally, the book pushed readers to think and broaden their perspective. For example, Stillwater tells Addy a story about how a robber tries robbing his uncle, but instead of being mad he gave away his only material good- his robe. This teaches readers the value of material goods. Each of the short stories within the story teach readers about life values. show less

This book is filled with "Zen Shorts" short stories that help teach the Zen/Buddist principle. A panda bear named lands in the backyard of three siblings Karl, Addy, and Michael. Over the next few days the three children each go to visit Stillwater. First Addy takes Stillwater a small cake as a gift; Stillwater informs her of his "Uncle Ry" who is a giving man and even gave to a robber. The next child to visit Stillwater is Michael. Stillwater and Michael both climb a tree and discuss what their alternatives are for getting down. Stillwater then tells Michael of "The Farmer's Luck" a story that states the value of luck is only in the eyes of the person affected. Last, Karl visits Stillwater and is so distracted with anger that he show more doesn't realize that great day he and Stillwater are having. Stillwater informs him of the tale "A Heavy Load" and teaches Karl a lesson of looking at life. Each child learns a something new and a way to look at life from an unexpected new friend.

As I read the book I began to open my eyes to the different views of the world and the things in it. I believe I was impacted most by the "Zen Short", "A Heavy Load", when the old monk simply says, "You are still carrying the lady and I set her down awhile back." It really shows how we sometimes hold on to things when we really should let go of them. There are much greater things in the world than being stuck in anger or the past.

This book would be a great tool for stepping into a different cultural. It shows the simple, short Zens that young children can find the meanings in. I think you could also break the story down and only use the "Zen Shorts" that are affecting your classroom at that time such as anger, bad views, or even unwillingness to share. Even if you did not have these problems in your classroom and a child was struggling with a issue at home it can still be used outside of your classrom. show less

Beautifully written and illustrated, this book doesn't teach values such as forgiveness as much as it tells stories from which the reader can draw their own conclusions. Younger students will enjoy this book if nothing else than because it is about a talking panda that befriends children, but I could see reading it aloud and discussing it as a character-building exercise.

Summary:
This story is about a panda named Stillwater. He moves into the neighborhood. Three kids Addy, Michael, and Karl all go to greet him. Over the course of the next three days each child goes to visit one on one with Stillwater. Addy went first and Stillwater told her a lovely story about his uncle Ry and giving unwrapable gifts like kindness. The second day Michael visited and was told a story about perspective and both good and bad things can happen. Lastly, the youngest Karl has his visit. Stillwater told him a story about holding a grudge. The book ends with the kids becoming great friends with Stillwater.

Personal Reaction:
At first I thought the book was about special shorts, but it wasn't close to that. However the book did show more provide stories that can help with have a peaceful zen life. I also thought it was interesting that the panda's name was Stillwater that has a zen and peaceful connotation. The book also gave small asian cultural insights that were subtle and interesting like his red umbrella, his asian robe, and his meditation style of sitting. Another interesting point is when Stillwater begins his stories the pictures get dull and less clear as though to impress the point that the stories are older and classic.

Extension ideas:
-I thought it would be fun to have all of the kids wear their most fun and crazy shorts.
-I also thought of having the children write or draw their own fable/parable type story. show less

I greatly enjoyed "Zen Shorts", the central message of which was for the main characters, three siblings named Michael, Karl, and Addy, to learn how to treat themselves and others. This story also conveyed the importance of learning how to be self-reflective, as well as how to entertain different perspectives in how one views life. I liked this book for its soothing, rhythmic language, as seen in the Zen panda, Stillwater's, meditative short stories, the engaging writing, which succeeding in drawing me into the book and allowing me to see myself in its believable and well-developed characters, and its beautiful watercolor illustrations, all of which enhanced the story and were appropriate to the peaceful, Zen mood that it exuded. I also show more liked this book for the pearls of wisdom it shared through the telling of Stillwater's stories, such as learning not to carry anger as doing so interferes with one's ability to enjoy life's moments, and that an instance that seems to be one of misfortune can, in fact, be good luck in disguise. This book invited both its characters and its readers to consider the world from a different point-of-view through its sharing of brief tales which illustrated Zen principles, such as forgiveness, kindness, and compassion. The graceful art and thought-provoking short stories in "Zen Shorts" made it a thoroughly enjoyable read which served to both enlighten and inspire me. show less