MINDFULNESS AND SLOWING DOWN

A HORSE CALLED NOW (Ruth Doyle, Alexandra Finkerldey)

Now the horse is a source of comfort to her farmyard friends, reminding them not to jump ahead to the worst conclusion when they feel afraid and to see what can be enjoyed about the ‘now’. When bad weather hits, the animals take shelter in a barn and discover that the things they were afraid of aren’t as frightening as they seem, and that even the wildest storms eventually pass. 

A Horse Called Now (Nosy Crow, 2024) is the perfect springboard to open conversations about children’s worries, whether big or small. It’s a calm and reassuring story about living in the present moment. Ruth’s tone is grounding and comforting, plus accessible for the very youngest children. Alexandra’s artwork brings Now’s world to life, giving the story a timeless, classic feel. 

“When I’m afraid, I breathe in and out, and let the feelings come. .. and then go. Nothing lasts forever.”

A great story for little ones to learn how to deal with uncertain moments and periods of anxiety, by practicing small moments of mindfulness.

EVERY BUNNY IS A YOGA BUNNY (Emily Davison, Deborah Allwright)

Yo-yo is a jiggly, wiggly, fidgety bunny! Grandpa suggests yoga might help, but it doesn’t. She can’t keep still! However, when Yo-Yo finds herself lost and alone in the woods, she remembers everything Grandpa taught her, slowing her mind and finding her way home.

Deborah Allwright’s joyful illustrations capture Yo-Yo brilliantly, including all her wiggly, jiggly energy! And Emily Davison’s text is gentle and soothing in keeping with the mindfulness theme, right up to the last page where we see Yo-yo drifting off to sleep.

I love that in this story, the yoga poses are interwoven into the narrative as well as available in the back matter for children to practise. Every Bunny is a Yoga Bunny (Nosy Crow, 2022) is a charming story and a great introduction to yoga and slowing down.

STOP THE CLOCK (Pippa Goodhart, Maria Christania)

In Stop The Clock (Tiny Owl, 2022) by Pippa Goodhart and Maria Christania, Joe is busy! So busy that he misses all the exciting things happening around him. He doesn’t even notice his sister crying on the way to school – but the reader might. Joe's teacher asks him to draw what he saw on the morning school run, but he realises he was in such a rush that he doesn’t know what to draw. Joe decides to stop time and retrace his steps in order to appreciate the small but important things. As Joe notices all the meaningful things in his life, his world is filled with more and more colour, cleverly reflected in Maria’s transitioning colour palette. Joe also works out why his little sister was crying, which is a nice secondary storyline going on in the illustrations.

A lovely introduction to mindfulness, advocating the importance of slowing down.

GHOST ORCHID (Fiona Lumbers)

Ghost Orchid (Andersen Press, 2022 ) is an original, special story about learning to live in the moment. Ava and her parents are a family of explorers, travelling the world to find the rare ghost orchid. On their way, Ava marvels at the wonders around her: a moose in the woods, the starry desert sky, a blue whale swimming under their boat. But her parents’ focus is on getting to the ghost orchid before its short-lived bloom fades, so only Ava notices the wonders of the journey.

Fiona’s lyrical text is a joy to read - it perfectly captures a child’s sense of curiosity and wonder. And there’s so much to appreciate and pore over in the sensational artwork. A beautiful story for adventurers, reminding them that the journey is just as magical as the destination.

BE A CALMER, LLAMA (Rosamund Lloyd, Gareth Lucas)

Be A Calmer, Llama (Little Tiger, 2022) is a fantastic novelty board book for young children introducing them to simple ways of calming down, including long deep breaths, stretching and relaxing.

One by one the tactile 3D llamas in the book disappear to be calm, giving this book a fun and interactive counting element.

It’s a brilliant read aloud, with the potential for children to role-play the llamas’ mindful actions, ending with bouncy, springy llamas that are full of energy after their rest!

HAPPY (Nicola Edwards, Kate Hickey)

A CHILDREN’S BOOK OF MINDFULNESS: Happy (Little Tiger Press, 2018) is a beautifully illustrated introduction to mindfulness, which shows children how they can connect to the world around them. In a society full of stress and pressure it’s often difficult to find time to stop and appreciate our surroundings and the people in our lives. Screen time is increasing, outside play is decreasing and many children now have anxiety and mental health problems. Teaching them mindfulness can help them to slow down, relax and find ways to cope with stress.

The book starts with a definition of mindfulness and an invitation to ‘discover some simple steps’ on the path to happiness. We are then encouraged to focus on each of our senses as well as discovering new things, relaxing, breathing and loving one another. Five children take us through the book and show us how we can experience each moment. Each double spread ends with a question or a suggestion as to how children can better connect to their surroundings. The book ends with a reminder that ‘Real life is right under our noses.’

Katie Hickey’s illustrations are absolutely beautiful. The children come from different cultural backgrounds and we love the earthy colours of the illustrations, many of which show the children outside. Nicola’s simple rhyming text have a calming effect on readers of all ages. The book’s message is that by stopping and appreciating our surroundings and senses, we can much better connect to the world around us.

(Reviewed by Catherine Freiss of Story Snug)

THANK YOU FOR THE LITTLE THINGS (Caryl Hart, Emily Hamilton)

Whenever I am feeling sad
or life feels hard or wrong or bad,
I focus for a little while
on little things that make me smile.

In this reassuring and uplifting story, we follow a main character who discovers the things that make them happy - whether that’s swinging high on the swings or licking ice cream, there are lots of small things that bring them joy and cheer up a grey day.

The takeaway, that everyone has bad and sad days from time time, is a soothing antidote to worries big and small, reminding anxious little ones (and big ones) that it’s often the smallest things that make us smile!

YOGA BABIES (Fearne Cotton, Sheena Dempsey)

Sometimes life is busy and tricky, but not to worry - the Yoga Babies can help everyone chill out! Yoga Babies (Andersen Press, 2020) follows a group of inclusive toddlers going about their day. The reader is encouraged to have a go at some simple stretches and poses, accessibly and playfully described by the characters in the story. They practise yoga inside the house, outside in the garden, in all kinds of places… which leaves them relaxed and ready for bed.

Cute characters and accessible rhyming text - a lovely introduction to yoga for young readers.

MUCH TOO BUSY (John Bond)

In Much Too Busy (HarperCollins, 2023) a busy pigeon is busy doing busy things. Rushing this way and that, he can’t stop - he’s much too busy! And when he is too busy to look where he is going, he gets lost and meets Mouse. Mouse offers to help but is distracted by all the lovely little things around. Before long, they are both lost. When Mouse is worries its all their fault, the tables are turned. Pigeon stops being busy, listens to Mouse and sees how wonderful the forest is for the first time.

A witty and brilliantly illustrated picture book about appreciating the little things in life.

TISHA AND THE BLOSSOM (Wendy Meddour, Daniel Egneus)

In Tisha and the Blossom (Oxford Univserity Press, ) the main character is having a hurried kind of day. Her mum, her teacher, her friends are all telling her to hurry up. Tisha opens up to her mummy and the pair decide to walk home and slow down. Together they chat and look carefully at their surroundings. Daddy joins them too! The story ends with everyone catch ing blossom, slowing down and with Tisha fast asleep.

We all have busy lives and Tisha is no exception. This book encourages families to move at at slower pace because all that hurrying up can be exhausting.