HAPPY TIGER

Another worthy addition to the Yoga Tots board-book series.

Happy Tiger provides step-by-step instruction for an energizing yoga asana sequence. Brave Bear (published simultaneously) takes a toddler through a morning stretch. Each book demonstrates seven asanas, skipping poses that can be frustrating for toddlers or cause a quiet yoga practice to dissolve into laughter. Happy Tiger eliminates balancing twists; Brave Bear skips Tree and Chair postures. Instead, the books prescribe flowing movements tailored to the physical abilities of tykes. On the verso pages, the eponymous animal characters model the poses while the text encourages children to channel their inner tigers/bears. These imaginative play prompts are designed to hold small children’s attention, but some of them (“How does it feel to be such a fine cat?”) may interrupt the young yogi’s flow. On the recto pages, seven children representing a variety of ethnicities, body types, and skill levels move through the same postures as the animals, and simple sentences convey the instructions, including breathing cues and reminders to repeat movements on the opposite side of the body. Attention to breath is a strength of these simple guides, ensuring that even adults who are not practicing yogis can safely guide children in the movements. Meza’s bright, colorful digital illustrations will appeal to the target audience.

A good choice to safely teach yoga asanas to youngsters while promoting quiet, calm movement.