About the Preschool Book

In Zen Shorts (A Caldecott Honor Book), Michael, Karl, and their sister Addy have an unexpected new neighbor, a giant panda bear named Stillwater. They quickly become friends with Stillwater and discover that he has some wonderful lessons to teach them. One by one, the siblings go to Stillwater's house to visit and each time they discover that he has a wonderful stories or "zen shorts", to teach them the important lessons in life.

From the Reviewer

Zen Shorts, by Jon J. Muth, immediately captures preschoolers attention with it's beautiful watercolor-like illustrations and it's lovable characters. Stillwater is the type of neighbor that every preschooler wants, kind, inviting, and he also happens to be a giant panda bear. Stillwater is never too busy to spend time playing with or teaching the children. The wonderful "Zen shorts" incorporated throughout the book tell beautiful traditional stories that teach important life lessons in a way that is simple and meaningful to preschoolers.

Zen Shorts may be better suited to older preschoolers. The stories can be slightly long for preschoolers attention spans but once they are engaged in the story many older preschoolers will begin to listen to the true meaning behind the story. Zen Shorts, teaches beautiful lessons about forgiveness, love, and life. They are important lessons to be learned by people of all ages.

Hi! I'm Rachel Lister, the Preschool Education writer at PreschoolRock.com. I live in Utah with my husband and two beautiful boys. When my oldest son was born, I quit my teaching job and opened a home daycare and preschool. I love to help preschoolers learn about the world around them. They make life interesting and I can't imagine doing anything different. If you have any ideas, suggestions or comments, feel free to contact me.

Helpful Tips for Parents

• Read aloud daily for at least 15 minutes. This single habit is the strongest predictor of kindergarten reading readiness and long-term academic success.

• Sleep is educational. Memory consolidation — the process of moving learning from short-term to long-term memory — happens during sleep. Well-rested children learn more effectively.

• Choose toys that grow with the child: open-ended materials (blocks, clay, art supplies) remain valuable for years; single-use toys with one correct answer produce brief engagement.

• Children's questions are assessment data. The questions a child asks reveal their current conceptual level and what they're ready to learn next.

Frequently Asked Questions

What learning differences might first become apparent in the preschool years?

The preschool years are when speech and language delays, developmental delays, autism spectrum characteristics, sensory processing differences, and early signs of ADHD typically become apparent. Early identification and early intervention are the most powerful factors in outcomes for children with learning differences — the preschool brain's plasticity makes early intervention far more effective than the same intervention at age 8. If you have concerns about your child's development, discuss them with your pediatrician rather than waiting to see if the child grows out of it.

What is the most important educational skill to develop before kindergarten?

Executive function — the cluster of skills that includes working memory, cognitive flexibility, and inhibitory control — is the strongest predictor of kindergarten and long-term academic success. Executive function is built through play (especially complex pretend play), physical activity, music, and responsive adult interaction. It cannot be taught through drills or worksheets. A child with strong executive function can learn academic content readily when developmentally ready; a child with weak executive function struggles regardless of academic knowledge.

Related reading: See also our counting activities and our writing readiness guide for more ideas on this topic.

🎓 Skills Your Child Will Develop

• 📚 Pre-Reading Skills — Activities that involve letters, sounds, rhymes, and print directly build the phonological awareness and letter knowledge that are the two strongest predictors of successful reading development.
• 🔢 Early Numeracy — Hands-on counting, sorting, measuring, and pattern work develops the number sense and mathematical reasoning that formal arithmetic will later build on — and preschool numeracy is one of the strongest predictors of later math achievement.
• 👂 Listening & Attention — Activities that require children to listen carefully and follow directions build the voluntary auditory attention that classroom learning, reading comprehension, and conversation all require.
• 💬 Vocabulary Expansion — Every new concept, activity, and domain-specific term a child encounters expands their vocabulary — and children's vocabulary at kindergarten entry is the single strongest predictor of reading comprehension at age 10.

From the Preschool Book

"There was once an old farmer who had worked his crops for many years. One day, his horse ran away. Upon hearing the news, his neighbors came to visit. 'Such bad luck,' they said sympathetically. 'Maybe,' the farmer replied. The next morning the horse returned, bringing with it tow other wild horses. 'Such good luck!' the neighbors exclaimed. 'Maybe,' replied the farmer."