Jon J Muth and Stillwater

Jon J Muth is beloved all over the world for his seven books featuring Stillwater the Panda. We spoke to Muth about AI, what led him to write and illustrate his famous children's books like the Stillwater series and his interest in Buddhism. Jon’s cat, Hex, was very vocal during the interview.

Muth's many enchanting picture books include his Caldecott Honor Book Zen Shorts, Addy's Cup of Sugar, Stone Soup, and The Three Questions, which the New York Times Book Review called "quietly life-changing." His books have been translated into more than 23 languages and are cherished by readers of all ages. Muth is also renowned in the world of graphic novels. He won an Eisner Award for his paintings in the graphic novel, The Mystery Play by Grant Morrison. He lives in New York State with his wife and their four children.

As we listened to Muth, we were struck by how many things in his youth have led to this beautiful life of creativity and all the literary and artistic gifts he has shared with us.

From an education and parenting viewpoint, we’d like to highlight some takeaways for our listeners to consider.  

Muth spoke of how his mother supported his creative exploration.

1. Muth was given art materials with which he was free to create.  This type of open-ended exercise in creativity is great for a child.  While there are merits to coloring and craft projects with a finished product in mind, the open exploration of materials allows the child to follow their own path of creativity.  This empowers the child to believe that they are capable of dreaming up interesting ideas and problem solving how to create them.

2. Muth also said that his mother gave him the freedom to make mistakes.  He was given the space to try things out and rework them independently.  There was no set idea of what constituted a successful end product.

3. Language is also important as you seek to support the creativity of your child.  When Muth showed his work to his mother, she asked questions like “What is this about?”, welcoming Muth to describe his work and further consider what he was working to create.  Oftentimes, grown ups say phrases like “Good job.”  We all do it!  Yet, by using that phrase we are communicating our approval of their efforts without welcoming them to chat about it and explain what the process was like.  It is recommended that, when possible, you respond with questions that will lead to dialogue.  For example, when looking at a child’s painting, “I see that you chose to put red at the top.  And then I see a long line of blues that goes all the way to the bottom.  Tell me about that line!”

4. Muth also noted that his mom didn’t interfere with his creative process.  She held back commentary, allowing him to draw his own conclusions as to what he was working to create.

5. We also love that Muth’s’ mother exposed him to the work of artists through trips to museums.  For Muth, this had a significant impact, leading him to the exploration of other cultures.  His mother could not have known which painting, if any, would impact her son.  Yet, she made an effort to expose him to it. 

6. Muth clearly had time to create and explore his curiosities in childhood.  He had ample unscheduled time to explore his interests.  In these hurried days, it’s a good reminder to slow things down whenever possible.

We sincerely hope you enjoyed this episode with author and artist Jon J Muth.