Jon J. MuthBesprekingen

Instructional Activity: 4-8
Awards: Eisner Award

IRL: Grades 2 and 3
Awards: Randolph Caldecott Medal

Stillwater, the beloved Zen panda, now in his own Apple TV+ original series!
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.

This illustrator is new to me. I'll be sure to find more of his offerings. This is a book of positiveity wherein each day children discover the large panda bear who offers thoughts of Zen teachings and/or simple happy thoughts that make the day bring sunshine. When the girl Addy, finds him in a bright yellow tent, he explains it is a gift his Uncle glad to him/ Stillwater the bear notes that he has enjoyed this gift and today because it makes him happy, he will stay inside the tent, as he inviest Addy to share his happiness and come inside.

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.

Okay, so I thought the shorts the panda's wearing on the cover were going to be like magic shorts that made everything Zen when you put them on. Turns out the "shorts" of the title are like short stories. So there are three short Zen stories contained in the the bigger story, which isn't much of a story, really.

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.

Ez a könyv valami gyönyörű! Az akvarellek csodaszépek. Tetszik az is, hogy a panda meséinél változik a képi világ, azok tussal illusztráltak. Maguk a zen történetek is nagyon jók. Békés, megnyugtató hangulatú könyv, esti mesének is szuper volt. A plüsspandát azonnal be kellett venni az ágyba, és amikor másnap reggel kérdezte az Ovis, hogy hol van Víztükre (ez a könyvben a panda neve), a Kicsi rögtön mutatta neki, ő is emlékezett rá (remélem, a tanulságok is ugyanígy megmaradnak).

Independent Reading Level: 2nd and 3rd grade
Awards: Randolph Caldecott Medal

The most important time? Now.
The most important one? Who you are with.
The most important thing? To do good to those you are with.

Those are the most important things in this world. Those are why we are here.½

I understand Haiku's now! There like personal anecdotes of the artist, their feelings illustrated in paper. Koo is such a pleasant person

Spooky. It reminds me of an old DVD I had that contained a collection of Halloween shorts for kids. Happy Halloween 🎃

OMG this was so cute! Muth's children's books read more like the cutest, soft-hearted series of all time. I want to hug Stillwater and Koo!

- Nervousness hinders one's talent
- An act of kindness can soften the heart of a curmudgeon. Compassion feeds compassion.
- "Tea was very good
My cup is filled with emptiness
Where shall I put them?" - Koo
- "Nearing my visit's end
Summer now tastes of apple tea
I will keep my cup" - Koo
- "Summer fading
new friends' faces
lighten the way home" - Koo

"As each person opened their heart to give, the next person gave even more."

Awww this is such a sweet and sentimental book! Who knew that all it took was one good action to build up into a sweet and precious moment.½

The book was pleasant but the stories Stillwater showcased were all fairly generic. It would be a little hard for a child to learn a meaning behind them.½

A book of 26 Haiku poems that take you through all 4 seasons. The book begins with haiku poems pertaining to fall, each one leading into the next. The book moves on to winter, spring and summer. This would be a great book to introduce Haiku poems to student's. I love the word play on the title, but it may be a bit confusing for some students. The panda is a fantastic main character that is flowing through his year. It would be fun to introduce this in kindergarten when talking about seasons and weather!

As a Marvel/DC collector, in terms of graphic novels, this is at the top of my "best" list. The story: (No spoilers) Walter and Louise Simonson were at their best in terms of crafting/writing a duo-superhero drama with a western vibe. Jon J. Muth and Kent Williams as the illustrators are second to none in this genre. Their brush calligraphy style is unique in the comic book world, however, it fits this noir tone. The characters of Wolverine and Havok never looked more stylized! If you're a fan of Wolverine and the X-Men in their 1990's heyday, or if you love a brushed paint style in your graphic novels, you owe it to yourself to pick up a copy or check it out on digital.

Very cute! The poems don't adhere to the traditional Haiku format, but the offer states that many don't strictly adhere to the 5-7-5 format anymore. It still had the essence of Haiku. I loved how each individual poem felt like both a vignette in itself and part of a greater story.

This book is great for first or second graders. It is an easy read but often kindergarteners do not do much with poem type books. This books was very good for a younger audience learning about hi koos, the text was fairly short for the age group. It used a panda to work through the story plot which was very engaging. I would use this to introduce hikoos into a classroom and then let students explore more with that.

A wise panda tells stories from Chinese culture; this book is beautifully illustrated and allows the reader to think deeply all while being exposed to Chinese culture and folktales. The simple narrative would be great for grades 1-3, allowing students to make connections to their own lives but also ask questions and explore ideas of other cultures.

"based on a story by Leo Tolstoy" answering questions under the big one, "what is most important in this world?" Author's note at the end.

The class story which is often told at our church campout. Includes story on CD. Author's note (read by the author) includes information on this retelling featuring Zen Buddhist monks.

Ez a könyv valami gyönyörű! Az akvarellek csodaszépek. Tetszik az is, hogy a panda meséinél változik a képi világ, azok tussal illusztráltak. Maguk a zen történetek is nagyon jók. Békés, megnyugtató hangulatú könyv, esti mesének is szuper volt. A plüsspandát azonnal be kellett venni az ágyba, és amikor másnap reggel kérdezte az Ovis, hogy hol van Víztükre (ez a könyvben a panda neve), a Kicsi rögtön mutatta neki, ő is emlékezett rá (remélem, a tanulságok is ugyanígy megmaradnak).

This is one of my favorite children's books. This book is truly thought provoking. This Book is about three siblings that become friends with a panda named Stillwater. Each sibling visits the panda and the panda teaches each one a lesson. He tells them stories about his experiences to help him feel better about what is troubling them.

Beautiful imagery both in the storyline and the book itself. The question within a story within a story is something that can be found across many ideologies. The Zen Ghosts book is part of a Zen series by the same author featuring Stillwater the Panda. This is a nice way to tie in the Halloween theme, tell a fabulous ghost story, and teach a lesson.

A wise panda tells a series of Zen-Buddhist legends, to help some troubled children overcome their disagreements, and find inner peace.

The classic tale of Stone Soup, retold with traveling monks in China.