Zen Shorts by Jon J. Muth

Zen Shorts by Jon J. Muth (2005)

Zen Shorts is a great book. It didn't win a Caldecott, but that doesn't change anything. (I recently realized that Charlotte's Web was only an honor book for the Newberry Medal. Ginger Pye certainly doesn't stick out that much these days.)

Zen Shorts is an interesting look at Zen philosophies and stories. Three children discover that their new neighbor is a panda bear named Stillwater. Each of the children visit with the bear and hear a story that he shares with them that applies to their situation.

The focus of these stories is to give a different (Zen) perspective on the situations each child is facing. Stillwater is a good friend who is happy to share his wisdom. The stories are adaptations of familiar stories of Zen wisdom.

Here is the lesson of the three stories, but I won't tell you the actual stories:

• Sometimes good luck and bad luck are wrapped up together.
• Don't keep the past with you, especially if it keeps you from enjoying the moment.
• Even if you give away everything you have, there are still things you can have and enjoy.

These stories are provide an opportunity to help your students examine their perspective on the situations. You can ask them questions about how they feel about the choices that were made in the story. Along with this you can explore the decision making process.

This book is definitely worth the read, and a great addition to your lesson plans. Check it out.