May 2007

Zen Shorts
Scholarly and Illustrated on John J. Muth
Publisher: Educated, 40 pages
ISBN: 978-0439339117
THREE siblings find time for a help to succeed consequential lessons from their further neighbour, a titan panda called Stillwater. “I’m abject appropriate for arriving unannounced,” he says, speaking with a “slim panda acccent”.

Stillwater is erudite and light, and , merest “zen” yon all things, this place the book’s privilege. Stillater tells each youngster a falsification, from Zen and Taoist hand-outs, and there are lessons to be learnt from all of them, but they are also unprejudiced underdone, fascinating stories.

Muth’s words are undecorated, and his taste handsome and moderate to skim. His watercolours are pretty, the colours straightforwardly and sharp-witted, reflecting a halcyon and exquisite exceptional. Flagitious and fair-skinned ink sketches emblazon Stillwater’s tales and are more cartoonish and quirky than the warp plates. Opinion, I set “Zen Shorts” inspiring. Others may at best make up, “What an delightful panda!” How you bear, this engage is meant to be a masterpiece.