Common Sense Media Review
Zen lessons that take on new meaning as kids grow.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 5+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Read
What's the Story?
Stillwater helps his friends understand why it's important to be kind even to people who don't seem to deserve it. Includes a brief explanation of haiku in the back.
Is It Any Good?
Stillwater the Zen panda originally appeared in Muth's picture book, Zen Shorts; in this fun and colorful book, Stillwater is welcoming nephew Koo. ("Hi Koo!" as in haiku -- the younger Panda only speaks in that short poetic form.) Koo and the neighborhood kids reach out to a grouchy neighbor with what might be surprising results for kids who haven't read this kind of fable before.
Like many sequels, ZEN TIES isn't as good as the original, but it holds up on its own. Muth's illustrations are amazing -- soft watercolors with details that lend incredible realism -- and the gentle story is many layered, allowing it to be read and understood differently as kids grow and re-read it.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about doing the right thing. Does it make sense to be nice to someone who's being mean? Can kids think of a time where kindness changed a bad situation? Why do we do the right thing? Famlies can also try their hand at writing haiku poetry with the explanation in the back of the book.
Book Details
- Author :
- Illustrator : Jon J. Muth
- Genre : Picture Book
- Book type : Fiction
- Publisher : Scholastic Press
- Publication date : February 1, 2008
- Publisher's recommended age(s) : 9 - 12
- Number of pages : 40
- Last updated : June 19, 2019
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