Zen Socks

Reviewed by: Jan Hamilton - Little Dolphin School, Scarborough, Southern Maine Library District

Review Date: January 11, 2016

Review

Who can resist the musings of Stillwater the panda? This sweet and gentle character finds a way to teach lessons each time Muth gives Stillwater life. In Zen Socks three stories are shared which knit the virtues of patience, compassion, and kindness into the storyline. Children will see and hear the lessons clearly as they watch the interaction (dancing, playing and saving marine life) between Stillwater and his two new friends.

Fantastic watercolor illustrations set the mood and tone of the action. Shadows draw attention to the movements of characters in the first story till the heart of the tale is told using line drawings. In the third story hope is illuminated as landscapes encompass the entire beach from ocean to sky, shading changing as night draws near.

My one problem is that editors should have caught an error; sea stars do not have gills and are not fish. The term starfish was eliminated from marine science materials over thirty years ago.

Overall Book Score: very good