After a friend challenged me to write a book for her very young son, I started looking at picture books to see what’s already out there. It’s probably been five years since I’ve read anything beyond the basals we use at work, so asking one of my fellow teachers to show me around the children’s area of the bookstore she works at was an eye-opening experience.
She ran me through the traditional books, the ones so many of us remember from our own childhoods, and then she introduced me to Zen Shorts and Zen Ties, two charming books by Jon J. Muth.
In Zen Shorts, a panda named Stillwater meets three children, each having a problem. He helps each one think through their problem with an old folk tale. The three find their solutions and befriend Stillwater in the process.
In Zen Ties, Stillwater is joined by his nephew Koo, who speaks only in haiku. Together, the pandas and the children from Zen Shorts find out what happens when you’re friendly to someone who hasn’t been friendly to you.
The stories are well-written and are accompanied by Muth’s beautiful artwork. At the end of each book, Muth includes a bit on Zen and the ideas he included in that particular book. They’re definitely a secret treasure among picture books.
