This adaptation of a Chinese folktale begins with a man's dissatisfaction with his life. Weary of being a stonecutter, he becomes many things in his quest for authority, each time finding that greater power lies elsewhere. Rooted in Taoist principles, Stonecutter is a story about the nature of power and the value of accepting who you are.
Originally published in a limited, fine art edition and long out of print, this is one of Jon J Muth's most heartfelt and exquisite works, and a book he entrusted to Feiwel and Friends to reach a wide new audience.
"A thoughtful and straightforward look at a man who travels to find out that what he really wants to be is exactly what he is, Stonecutter is a smart book for high school and college graduates. Muth's Zen-like black and white brushstrokes are powerful, while Kuramoto's traditional Japanese folklore stays with the reader long after the book wears out. Stonecutter would also be a moving gift for a professional forced to take a lower paying job."
Copley News Service
"Moral without being moralistic, the tale sends a simple and direct message unfreighted by pomp or pedantry. Muth's art is as carefully distilled as his prose. A series of misty, evocative watercolors in muted tones suggests the figures and their changing relationships to the landscape."
Publishers Weekly, review of The Three Questions
". . . Both an accessible, strikingly illustrated story and a thought-provoking meditation. Here Muth incorporates short Buddhist tales. . . . the peaceful, uncluttered pictures, like the story itself, will encourage children to dream and fill in their own answers."
