Zen Pencils: Cartoon Quotes from Inspirational Folks (Volume 1) Paperback – November 11, 2014

Loved reading it!

Having enjoyed Gavin's work for some time now, it was a no-brainer to order this book.Every now and then, something pops into your life that stands out. Something that makes your life better just by existing. Something special that you can't wait to share with others. For me, Gavin's work fits that bill.When he announced the book, I knew I'd own it. What I didn't know was that I would then purchase other copies to give to loved ones. If you are looking for a new twist on inspirational quotes, Zen Pencils is it. Gavin's artwork is clean, inspired and top notch.The quotes are great, and how they are represented put them in a new light for me.Someone mentioned the missing great comic of the Watterson quote. If I'm not mistaken, it was intended to appear, but they were not able to get permission.Do yourself a favor and buy this collection. Either for yourself, a loved one, a friend or family member, or...like me, for your child, so they, too, can share in Gavin's delightful art.

I followed Zenpencils for quite some time now. I started my business in 2011, and Zenpencils started in 2012. I found it with the illustration for William Ernest Henly's Invictus, and I've been hooked ever since. Saw as Gavin's work got better and better as time went by.His illustrations moved me and uplifted me during the ups and downs of my business. I always found great inspiration with his work, and his life.It was a no-brainer to buy this book, if only to to say thanks for the work he has done.I would have preferred that each set of illustrations start with a proper heading to distinguish them from each other. Those not familiar with the works may have difficulty telling one set from another.Otherwise, this is great collection and highly recommended for someone's own use or as a great gift idea.

I don’t read too many cartoon style books and I thought this would be fun. It is fun with the author sharing some great quotes with unique and wonderful illustrations. My favorites were The Two Wolves, To Love at All (C.S. Lewis) and Invictus-- a Tribute to Nelson Mandela. All three of these are favorite quotes or poems of mine so it’s not surprising I liked them. I liked how Mr. Than matched the images to the literary works.There are many other inspirational pieces with unique comic strips expressing emotions for each piece. The only thing that troubled me was some of the illustrations have very angry faces. We have enough terrible rage and mean-spiritedness in the world. I can appreciate the emotional intensity but I don’t think the terrible anger expressed is suitable for young people or a book promoting “zen”. I guess I have always associated “zen” with calm and peace although it is more accurately a focus of togetherness of mind and body in tune with natural intuition. Apparently the anger aspects did not bother other reviewers.I read this on my tablet so I could experience the color comics. The set up allows expanding individual frames which I found interesting. I think the book might work even better in print but it worked fine on tablet too. Except for the anger emotions, I would recommend this as a unique presentation of inspiring words.Source: NetGalley.

I love Gavin and his wonderful art at ZenPencils. What he has done in this book is spectacular and I bought several copies, received it the day it released, and read through the whole thing in one sitting. The only other time I've done that is when I bought my Calvin & Hobbes books, which sit proudly right beside this book. It's right where it belongs.I'm so excited for Gavin and the wonderful long road he has ahead of him. I believe we are seeing a Bill Watterson growing and learning right before our eyes. And on the journey we are able to join him, follow along and see all the incredible things he is up to.To see more about Gavin, including a great speech on how he started ZenPencils and an interview with him in a recent conference, visit travishellstrom.com/gavin.Thanks for your great work Gav!

This book is a little, rare, beautiful pearl. It sparkles with vivid colors, imagination and profound significance from the quotations of great persons that inspire and motivate. Amazingly, it took me back to reading cartoons (bandes dessinees, dibuhos animados, fumetti...) after perhaps, say, 50 years,and as the kid that always remains inside me, I enjoyed it all!. But, at my "grand" age, I can also say that this is no comic strip at all, it is much, much more than that. Buy this book for yourself and your (alternative) library, or to make a significant gift to others, as it has already been said here in various comments. But as I live in Thailand, I also use it with Thai students for learning English. It provides an excellent support material for review and discussion that truly fascinate my joyfully minded Thai students.หลุยล์

I'm a huge fan of Gav's work in Zen Pencils.In his cartoons, he starts with a motivational quote from a famous person, and then brings it to life, adding his own ideas of characters. I personally like the one with Chris Hadfield's "An Astronaut's Advice", but don't ask me to pick a favorite, there are too many favorites! Ithaka is another one that really resonated with me.The book is wonderfully printed, I was very happy and impressed with the quality, its printed on nice quality paper, very well done. First Class all the way!Wishing Gav all the success he deserves, and hope to see many more of his cartoons in the future!Go buy the book, you'll enjoy it! Buy extras, Christmas is coming!