Offers both a soothing nighttime routine and an age-appropriate introduction to mindfulness.
Little bodies settle down for the night.
“Hello, body. Hello, dear friend. We’ve been with each other all day, but sometimes I forget to notice you!” Lee, author of The Boy With the Big, Big Feelings (2019) and The Girl With the Big, Big Questions (2021), presents an engaging, conversational offering about a bedtime routine rooted in mindfulness that every family can use. Little ones are invited to say goodbye to their last wiggles of the day by pretending to curl up like a hedgehog and then opening up like a starfish. Then it’s time to climb into bed and take a few deep breaths. First readers say goodnight to their heads, wishing for it to be as light as a breeze. Next they ask their minds to be “playful like a puppy. Catch comforting thoughts, sailing by like bubbles, and gently blow the others away.” Face, eyes, mouth, shoulders, arms…all the way down to the toes, children greet each body part and wish it goodnight before drifting off for a restful sleep. Fallberg’s softly flowing illustrations depict wide-eyed, happy youngsters who have a variety of skin tones (including one brown-skinned little one who appears to have vitiligo) following the instructions of the text, sometimes from bed, sometimes in their imaginations. One child uses a wheelchair. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
Offers both a soothing nighttime routine and an age-appropriate introduction to mindfulness. (Picture book. 2-6)Pub Date: Feb. 7, 2023
ISBN: 978-1-4002-3849-1
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Tommy Nelson
Review Posted Online: Oct. 26, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 15, 2022
Genial starter nonfiction.
Panels activated by sliding tabs introduce youngsters to the human body.
The information is presented in matter-of-fact narration and captioned, graphically simple art featuring rounded lines, oversized heads and eyes, and muted colors. The sliding panels reveal new scenes on both sides of the page, and arrows on the large tabs indicate the direction to pull them (some tabs work left and right and others up and down). Some of the tabs show only slight changes (a white child reaches for a teddy bear, demonstrating how arms and hands work), while others are much more surprising (a different white child runs to a door and on the other side of the panel is shown sitting on the toilet). The double-page spreads employ broad themes as organizers, such as “Your Body,” “Eating Right,” and “Taking Care of Your Body.” Much of the content is focused on the outside of the body, but one panel does slide to reveal an X-ray image of a skeleton. While there are a few dark brown and amber skin tones, it is mostly white children who appear in the pages to demonstrate body movements, self-care, visiting the doctor, senses, and feelings. The companion volume, Baby Animals, employs the same style of sliding panels to introduce youngsters to little critters and their parents, from baboons to penguins.
Genial starter nonfiction. (Board book. 2-5)Pub Date: March 5, 2019
ISBN: 978-2-40800-850-5
Page Count: 12
Publisher: Twirl/Chronicle
Review Posted Online: Jan. 27, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 2019
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Adults looking for an easy entry into this subject will not be disappointed.
This book presents a simplified explanation of the role the atmosphere plays in controlling climate.
The authors present a planet as a ball and its atmosphere as a blanket that envelops the ball. If the blanket is thick, the planet will be hot, as is the case for Venus. If the blanket is thin, the planet is cold, as with Mars. Planet Earth has a blanket that traps “just the right amount of heat.” The authors explain trees, animals, and oceans are part of what makes Earth’s atmosphere “just right.” “But…Uh-oh! People on Earth are changing the blanket!” The book goes on to explain how some human activities are sending “greenhouse gases” into the atmosphere, thus “making the blanket heavier and thicker” and “making Earth feel unwell.” In the case of a planet feeling unwell, what would the symptoms be? Sea-level rises that lead to erosion, flooding, and island loss, along with extreme weather events, such as hurricanes, blizzards, and wildfires. Ending on a constructive note, the authors name a few of the remedies to “help our Earth before it’s too late!” By using the blanket analogy, alongside simple and clear illustrations, this otherwise complex topic becomes very accessible to young children, though caregivers will need to help with the specialized vocabulary.
Adults looking for an easy entry into this subject will not be disappointed. (Board book. 3-4)Pub Date: Aug. 18, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-4926-8082-6
Page Count: 24
Publisher: Sourcebooks eXplore
Review Posted Online: Aug. 31, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 15, 2020
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