Zen Shorts

Muth, J. J. (2005). Zen shorts . New York: Scholastic Press. 

Interest Level: K - 2

Grade Level Equivalent: 2.4

Lexile® measure: 540L

DRA: 16-18

Guided Reading: K

 A panda named Stillwater moves into Addy, Micheal, and Karl's neighborhood. As all three of them go to visit him he shares stories with them. The first story is about being giving in all situations, the second is about the confusion of luck, and the third is about being able to let go of your frustrations. All stories teach the children a lesson.

This is my favorite children's book. The stories allow for great conversations with students and teach valuable lessons. This book is also a way to bring Japanese culture into the classroom. This is a book that I would read with my students if I had the time to accompany the reading with conversation because I would want to make sure that my students were picking up on the good messages that the stories are telling.

 The illustrations are beautiful and add to the story.

Literary Elements:

Allegory, Personification.

Mini-Lesson

I would use this book in a folktale unit and have students create their own folktales.