Even the kids who come to the book (Zen Shorts) because it has a giant panda tend to come back because there's some itch that's created - in their minds or in their hearts - to re-examine what's going on.' they just may not have the ability to put it into words. 'Children are completely capable of intuiting wisdom as readily as adults are. You write up.' Muth wholeheartedly agrees. White once said, 'You don't write down for children. In an interview with the Paris Review, E.B. Muth worked for over twenty years in comics and graphic novels culminating in the industry's highest honor, an Eisner Award for 'The Mystery Play'. His book 'The Three Questions' has been described as 'quietly life-changing' by The New York Times. He is the illustrator of the anthology, 'A Family of Poems', with Caroline Kennedy.

He is the author and illustrator of 'Zen Shorts' a Caldecott Honor book, which Kirkus Review described as 'Every word and image comes to make as perfect a picture book as can be'.

He has received numerous awards and critical acclaim and worked with many talented people. Muth started what has been over a decade in children's books. Recommended by Katherine Stehman, Elementary school librarian.In 1999 Mr. This is a beautiful seasonal treat of a book. Take time to observe closely the double-page spread of Halloween “trick or treaters” – there are definitely a few tricks! Muth’s delicate watercolor illustrations are mood setting, presenting Halloween not as a harrowing night of fright but as a metaphor for a human being’s multiple personas. Stillwater relates his ghost story, a story Muth reveals in his Author’s Note, moved him personally when he heard it from a Zen teacher. Jon Muth’s gentle giant panda enlightens his young friends (brothers Michael and Karl and sister Addy) with elements of Zen Buddhist philosophy in the form of a koan, a story, the meaning of which cannot be thought out rationally, but needs to be understood intuitively.īy setting Zen Ghosts within the Halloween season, with revelers in costume, Muth invites comparison to his story within a story framework. How do you prove to middle grade students (and older) that picture books aren’t just for “little kids”? Introduce them to Stillwater the Panda and his Zen lessons.

Zen Ghosts by Jon J. Muth