Zen ABC

Mother-daughter team Amy Zerner and Jessie Spicer Zerner have compiled a collection of classical and contemporary haiku and poetry to accompany their lavishly illustrated, illuminated alphabet in ZEN ABC. Meant to be a children's book, ZEN ABC - though perfect for little ones - is beautiful and contains enough classical, traditional, and contemporary material to appeal to all ages.

Each letter of the alphabet is paired with a word or phrase central to Zen beliefs and accompanied by either a prose or verse fragment from Zen literature as well as a painted collage. The collages, each framed in a decorative border, incorporate a range of styles and elements, including such icons as the lotus blossom and the rising sun; archetypal figures, animals and landscapes; the delicate patterns of kimono fabric. The correlations of letters and what they stand for has an appealing quality too... "...N is for Nirvana...O is for One Mind...Z is for Zen..." This is the perfect way to introduce children to the alphabet and Zen concepts as well. ZEN ABC is a book to be read, re-read, treasured, displayed, and celebrated.

The letters themselves are pen-and-ink renderings that pick up elements from the larger illustrations. 

 8.8 x 11.5 inches; 32 pages