Zen Ghosts [Hardcover]

Jon J. Muth (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 1, 2010 | Age Range: 6 and up | Lexile Measure: 530L (What's this?)

It's Halloween.
The trees are ablaze in fiery reds. Excited children don colorful costumes. And there's mystery and fun around every corner!
When Addy, Michael, and Karl finish trick-or-treating, their bags are brimming with treats. But the fun isn't over yet. Their good friend Stillwater the panda has one more special surprise in store for them. A mysterious visitor is about to tell them a spine-tingling story -- one that will fill each and every reader with wonder.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Gr 1-6–It's Halloween, and the three siblings introduced in Muth's Zen Shorts (2005) and Zen Ties (2008, Scholastic) are working on their costumes when Stillwater appears at their door. The panda invites Addy, Michael, and Karl to meet him after trick-or-treating to hear a ghost story. The walk through the forest is filled with mystery. Stillwater himself–who said he would be a ghost this Halloween–is at times almost transparent, and his round, white bamboo lantern mimics the full moon. Inside his house is another panda who looks exactly like Stillwater. His story, which is told in words and brush-and-ink drawings, is based on an old Zen koan, or puzzle, about a young woman who is with her husband in a faraway land and yet very ill and at home with her parents. It invites listeners to consider duality, or perception vs. reality, and is at the same time a wonderfully haunting tale that's perfect for Halloween. When the story ends and the illustrations return to the earlier complex, evocative watercolors, it isn't clear whether Stillwater and the storyteller are two entities or one. The children and readers are left to consider this and other mysteries as both tales come to a close. Muth's artistic gifts are so breathtaking that they will draw in even those whose attention spans are not at first up to the demands of the text. The book functions on many levels, from seasonal Halloween story to ghost yarn to deep philosophy, and succeeds spectacularly on all of them.–Susan Weitz, formerly at Spencer-Van Etten School District, Spencer, NYα(c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

From Booklist

Following the Caldecott Honor Book Zen Shorts (2005) and Zen Ties (2008), Muth offers another gentle, reflective story about Stillwater, the Zen Buddhist panda, and his three young friends, siblings Michael, Karl, and Addie. It’s Halloween, and after the candy-collecting fun, Stillwater promises another treat: a visit from a storyteller, who looks a lot like the kids’ panda friend. “Is that Stillwater?” asks Karl. “Yes . . . no! . . . I don’t know!” whispers Michael. That theme of duality is at the heart of the storyteller’s tale about a young woman who seemingly lives in two places at once. In an author’s note, Muth discusses Zen koans, and as a whole, this title feels more like a vehicle for the meditative tale rather than a developed, integrated story. But Muth grounds the book’s esoteric elements with humor, everyday details from a child’s world, and extraordinary watercolor-and-ink scenes that contrast the fiery shades of autumn with silvery moonlight and utilize a ghostly, simplified palette to amplify the koan’s elemental mysteries. A beautiful, contemplative offering. Grades K-3. --Gillian Engberg

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Age Range: 6 and up
  
• Hardcover: 40 pages
• Publisher: Scholastic Press; First Edition edition (September 1, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 043963430X
• ISBN-13: 978-0439634304
• Product Dimensions: 11.3 x 10.8 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (29 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #30,311 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #17 in Books > Children's Books > Holidays & Celebrations > Halloween

More About the Author

The career of Jon J Muth spans three decades, beginning with Wilmington College hosting his first one-man show as a painter at the age of eighteen. He now exhibits his work internationally. He is a musician and a best-selling writer, and for over twenty years put pictures and words together in comics and graphic novels; culminating in the industry's highest honor, an Eisner Award for "The Mystery Play".

Siting that becoming a father was a profoundly life changing experience, Mr. Muth became aware of the need to explore subjects that spoke to a younger audience. He remarks, "My oldest is eighteen and now we have four year old twins. I love writing for children. Drawing for them. Children see the world in a bright, curious and immediate way. Most of my work in children's publishing has been in watercolor which speaks to that vibrancy.... Being a parent to me reveals something about being alive and a responsibility that is really shattering... An artist is a very selfish position to occupy, but being a parent just throws all that out the window. Becoming a father in my case, did something I can't really explain and it has influenced my creative process."

In 1999 Mr. Muth started what has been over a decade in children's books, first illustrating "Come On Rain!", which won a Gold Medal from the Society of Illustrators. He has received numerous awards and critical acclaim and worked with many talented people, including Neil Gaiman and Mo Willems. 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 is the illustrator of the anthology, "A Family of Poems", with Caroline Kennedy. His book "The Three Questions" has been described as "quietly life-changing" by The New York Times.

In an interview with the Paris Review, E.B. White once said, "You don't write down for children. You write up." Muth wholeheartedly agrees. "Children are completely capable of intuiting wisdom as readily as adults are... they just may not have the ability to put it into words ... [but] they get this stuff very quickly. Even the kids who come to the book (Zen Shorts) because it has this giant panda tend to come back because there's some itch that's set off -- in their minds or in their hearts -- to re-examine what's going on."

Mr. Muth has had a life long interest in Asian Studies, including tai chi chuan, sumi ink drawing and chado, "the way of tea". His work has been translated into more than a dozen languages and he lives with his wife Bonnie and their four children in New York.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

29 of 29 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars More Brilliance From Jon Muth, This Time Halloween-Themed August 31, 2010

By L. Erickson TOP 1000 REVIEWER

Format:Hardcover

I'm a fan of Jon Muth's books, and this one didn't disappoint. Stillwater, the beloved giant haiku-speaking panda also featured in Zen Shorts and Zen Ties, makes his reappearance here, this time accompanying Michael, Karl and Addy (the three children also featured in the prior books) on their Halloween trick-or-treating. The pictures are breathtaking as always, with the Halloween theme providing extra fun - one two-page spread features a beautiful full moon and dozens of children in a riot of different costumes. My almost-six year old couldn't stop looking at that page.

The book features a story within a story, as Stillwater tells the children a ghost story set in ancient Japan. The theme is nothing less than 'what is real?', the heart of Zen - and Halloween, of course - but young children will simply be caught in the fantasy and beauty of it all. The zen of Muth's books is never pedantic or preachy - it's embedded in every word and picture. The Japanese ghost story Stillwater tells is based on a koan from The Gateless Gate: The Classic Book of Zen Koans, but don't let that intimidate you. In Muth's deft hands it's a riveting tale, and you don't need to have any interest in Buddhism or Zen to enjoy it (although if you do, you'll be over the moon.)

So this is a lovely book for any child, and a particularly wonderful Halloween gift.

**EDIT**: I came back to add this, after seeing some of the comments about the story-within-the-story being too sophisticated for young children. Although every parent has to make these kinds of decisions for themselves, I wanted to say that I don't think it is anymore difficult for children to process than fire-breathing dragons or lost princesses. It reads like a fable. Parents will need to explain a bit, but I like books that trigger discussion and questions. And of course young children won't get the 'what is real?' sub-text, but a little confusion is not always a bad thing (and is very Zen!)

19 of 23 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Different than the other ones September 8, 2010

By Amber

Format:Hardcover

Because we love Zen Ties & Zen Shorts so much, I bought this book even though I knew nothing about the story within. Well, the story totally threw me off, I found it very different than the others in this series. Beautiful pictures, I guess a well written story (I needed to read the Koan explanation @ the end of the book to "get" why Muth thought this was a good story for kids). I think it works well as a ghost story, but my kids (4& 6) didn't get the deeper meaning aspect on the first reading. They were so confused by the details of the story they were hung up on that (I'd have to give away the story to explain further).

I like these books because of the spiritual message they impart to kids, but I don't think my kids are going to "get" that so much from this one. I had to go off book and explain it to them, and they still didn't relate it back to the story (unlike the other books in this series). Also, in the story a boy and a girl elope b/c the father wants the girl to marry someone else. I think that's too heavy for my kids at this age. They can handle it but why would I purposely expose them to eloping at this age ... I read it to them and modified that part of the story.

I am giving it four stars because it is beautiful in look and intent, but I think it's not quite the fun and spiritual light read that my kids got out of the other two books. The stories in the other books had an immediate beautiful message for my kids, and yet still were stories that could teach further with further readings. Fyi, I have studied some buddhism and have exposed my kids to it a lot and we love Stillwater the Panda!

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Brilliant! October 3, 2010

By Eco Mama's Guide To Living Green

Format:Hardcover

My five year old son and I eagerly await John Muth's Stillwater books and I'm so thrilled to have this latest effort, ZEN GHOSTS, which takes place during my favorite time of year, Autumn and Halloween. Stillwater, the giant panda is my most adored contemporary children's book character. But these books are obviously not just for children.

Addy, Michael and Karl, featured in the prior books, are getting ready for Halloween. Stillwater joins them for festivities and reads the children a story by candlelight. The vibe of the book is both cozy and mysterious.

As you can tell from the cover, the illustrations are magical. There is a two page spread depicting trick or treating that is magnificent, so visually the book is incredible, and perhaps the most striking one of the series to date.

The Buddhist theme is appropriate for young children as they can be even more receptive to subtle teachings than adults. In some ways, a koan is more accessible to a child. As with the other two Stillwater books, Zen Ties and Zen Shorts, this is a story within a story and this one goes pretty deep. What genius to contemplate illusion and duality in a Halloween setting! What is real and what is not real? "Which Senjo is the true one? Are they one or are they two?" This book works on many different levels and I can't get enough of it.