Zen Ties is Jon J.
Muth’s eagerly awaited follow-up to Zen
Shorts, the 2005 book about a giant panda who imparts Buddhist lessons to
neighborhood children. Reading Zen Ties, I
was happy to spend more time with Stillwater
and meet his little panda nephew Koo. But I did find myself wishing that this
second book was a little more like the first. The best parts of Zen Shorts were Stillwater’s Zen tales, illustrated in simple
brushstrokes to contrast the elaborate watercolors of the “real world.” Instead
of offering a series of ancient anecdotes, the sequel tells a single story: Stillwater and his nephew
foster an unlikely friendship between a group of children and their cranky
old-lady neighbor. Its Zen twist is that Stillwater’s
nephew only speaks in haiku. Overall, it’s a lovely stand-alone story for
older children (I’d say ages 7 and up), with really dazzling illustrations. But
if you come to this book looking for more bite-sized lessons from a Zen master, you may be
disappointed. — Gwynne Watkins
Zen Ties (Scholastic, February 1st) by John J. Muth is available on Amazon.
Book of the Week appears every other Friday. Sometimes every
Friday. We’re fickle like that.
