Breathe Like a Bear: 30 Mindful Moments for Kids to Feel Calm and Focused Anytime, Anywhere by Kira Willey, illustrated by Anni Betts, 104 pp, RL 3

Breathe Like a Bear: 30 Mindful Moments for Kids to Feel Calm & Focused Anytime, Anywhere

by Kira Willey, illustrated by Anni Betts

Breathe Like a Bear is a book that you are drawn to, that you want to pick up and look through! Before I dive into how marvelous and essential this book is, I have to rave about the charming, vibrant illustrations. Anni Betts's calm, cheerful palette is filled with adorable animals and inviting patterns that have you turning the page to see what comes next. Kira Willey, a children's music artist dedicated to bringing music, movement and mindfulness to kids everywhere, has shared thirty mindful moments that are fun, engaging and unforgettable. Her years of experience inform mindfulness practices that will help young kids develop self-awareness, improve focus, release anxiety, and stretch their imaginations. Give this book as a gift to every new parent you know! 

Willey organizes her mindfulness practices into five sections, each of which has a brief introduction: Be Calm, Focus, Imagine, Make Some Energy and Relax, with each practice receiving a generous two page spread. Each short guided meditation invites practitioners to calm their minds and bodies while also exercising and expanding their imaginations, both of which happen less and less in this age of screens. Meditations lead children on journeys of kindness, sending good thoughts and positive intention, while others lead them to get in touch with their bodies, stretching, twisting and following their breath.  And, as Willey's meditations are short and easy to remember, you can use them anytime, anywhere - and, best of all, fluent readers can experience this book on their own.