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Master of Mindfulness: How to Be Your Own Superhero in Times of Stress
Faster than a speeding spitball, more powerful than a playground bully, able to breeze through homework and finish nightly chores in a single bound, it’s Master of Mindfulness —here to conquer stress, worry, and any trouble that comes your way! Do you ever feel angry, disappointed, or stressed out about family problems, school, bullies, or trouble with friends? If so, mindfulness can help. Master of Mindfulness is a unique and empowering book written for kids by kids, with cool illustrations and tips that show you how to be confident, get focused, stay calm, and tap into your own inner strength so that you can be your own superhero—no matter what life throws your way! Childhood is supposed to be a carefree time, but the truth is that all kids have stress—especially when dealing with difficulties at school, at home, or with friends. Sometimes things happen in life that are hard, and you can’t stop thinking about them or you react too fast. You might be mad, sad, irritated, embarrassed, anxious, jealous, or even disappointed with yourself when things don’t go the way you would’ve hoped. And when you’re really upset, it’s hard to make good decisions—you may end up doing something that you regret later or that gets you into trouble. You could probably use some help—and fast!—but where can you turn? This book will give you the skills you need to bring up your own superpowers by showing you how mindfulness, like stopping to take a few deep, mindful breaths, can help you calm down and deal with things differently. Written by Laurie Grossman, cofounder of Mindful Schools and director of program development at Inner Explorer, and Mr. Musumeci’s fifth grade class at Reach Academy in Oakland, California, Master of Mindfulness presents helpful practices—mindful activities proven to make it easier to pay attention, accept yourself and others, manage your anger, and even get to sleep at night. The book features cool, mixed media illustrations with real kids’ drawings and stories about how mindfulness can help in different stressful situations. It even covers some of the brain science behind why mindfulness helps kids to feel better, stay in the present moment, be kind, and make good decisions. The book includes easy and fun practices, like mindful breathing, noticing your feelings, paying attention to your body, and mindful eating, as well as links to engaging audio recordings produced by Mr. Musumeci’s students. And once you become a master of mindfulness, you can help others by sharing your superpower and teaching them how to do it, too—your parents, your teachers, and your friends. When things go wrong, or when you have scary thoughts or strong feelings, you may need help to sort it all out, no matter how old you are. Learning and practicing mindfulness can make it easier to deal with the issues you face every day by showing you how to tap into your own inner strength in times of stress. So, why not use mindfulness and start being your own superhero today?
72 pages, Paperback
First published February 2, 2016
3 people are currently reading
477 people want to read
About the author
Laurie Grossman
2 books7 followers Laurie Grossman has over 40 years experience in working in non-profits and creating programs to help improve the lives of people living in underserved communities. Laurie’s passion, energy, creativity and sense of justice have enabled her to imagine innovative methods to address problems and she has helped schools look at how to serve their students in totally new ways. Laurie brings her warmth, enthusiasm, humor and insight into each project. In the last 30 years she has created two initiatives in schools impacting tens of thousands of children and adults. Both were looked at skeptically in the beginning, and both continue to thrive. Both serve low-income and affluent communities.
In 1992 Laurie was recruited by Park Day School, a North Oakland independent school, to raise money for the school. Having spent her career working with under served communities, she initially refused the position. However, once she witnessed the superb education offered to Park’s students, she made a bargain with the board. She would raise funds if they allowed her to share Park’s teaching and resources with Oakland’s low-income public schools. Initially 10% of her job, Laurie created a full-time Community Outreach position. She devised a myriad of public/private partnerships with public schools some of which included service learning, professional development, book drives, literacy programs, and anti-bullying campaigns. Students from both schools benefitted from the interactions and teachers from both schools learned from each other. In addition to working with public schools, Laurie offered several workshops for private schools to encourage them to join in the effort in support of public schools. Park Day School’s public/private partnership program is one of the largest in the country, and Tom Little, the director of the school was an important spokesperson for this important movement.
At Park Day School in 2007, as a method to address the turmoil faced by many students in public schools, Laurie cofounded The Community Partnership for Mindfulness in Education, now known as Mindful Schools. At launching, little did she know how well the program would serve all students and their teachers, or how much she would love teaching mindfulness to children, or that the program would help foster an international movement to bring mindfulness into schools. Mindful Schools has taught hundreds of thousands of teachers and students.
Laurie believes that mindfulness is vital for social justice and educational equity and left Mindful Schools at the end of 2011 in order to focus on bringing mindfulness into a wide variety of communities that serve low-income seniors, troubled students, schools & non-profits. During that time she worked with 5th graders and wrote and a kids’ book called Master of Mindfulness How To Be Your Own Superhero in Times of Stress. New Harbinger published it in 2016. Breath Friends Forever, a book Laurie wrote with Angelina Alvarez, (Co author of MOM) and 4th graders in East Oakland was released in September, 2017.
In 2014 Laurie was recruited by Inner Explorer to be their Director of Program Development and Outreach. With exuberance and delight, Laurie joined the IE team, almost incredulous that her colleagues figured out a way to spread mindfulness to all schools and to students and teachers simultaneously easily, effectively, sustainably and with scalability. As the Director of Social Justice and Educational Equity for Inner Explorer, she is as passionate as ever about spreading mindfulness as far and wide as possible.
In 1992 Laurie was recruited by Park Day School, a North Oakland independent school, to raise money for the school. Having spent her career working with under served communities, she initially refused the position. However, once she witnessed the superb education offered to Park’s students, she made a bargain with the board. She would raise funds if they allowed her to share Park’s teaching and resources with Oakland’s low-income public schools. Initially 10% of her job, Laurie created a full-time Community Outreach position. She devised a myriad of public/private partnerships with public schools some of which included service learning, professional development, book drives, literacy programs, and anti-bullying campaigns. Students from both schools benefitted from the interactions and teachers from both schools learned from each other. In addition to working with public schools, Laurie offered several workshops for private schools to encourage them to join in the effort in support of public schools. Park Day School’s public/private partnership program is one of the largest in the country, and Tom Little, the director of the school was an important spokesperson for this important movement.
At Park Day School in 2007, as a method to address the turmoil faced by many students in public schools, Laurie cofounded The Community Partnership for Mindfulness in Education, now known as Mindful Schools. At launching, little did she know how well the program would serve all students and their teachers, or how much she would love teaching mindfulness to children, or that the program would help foster an international movement to bring mindfulness into schools. Mindful Schools has taught hundreds of thousands of teachers and students.
Laurie believes that mindfulness is vital for social justice and educational equity and left Mindful Schools at the end of 2011 in order to focus on bringing mindfulness into a wide variety of communities that serve low-income seniors, troubled students, schools & non-profits. During that time she worked with 5th graders and wrote and a kids’ book called Master of Mindfulness How To Be Your Own Superhero in Times of Stress. New Harbinger published it in 2016. Breath Friends Forever, a book Laurie wrote with Angelina Alvarez, (Co author of MOM) and 4th graders in East Oakland was released in September, 2017.
In 2014 Laurie was recruited by Inner Explorer to be their Director of Program Development and Outreach. With exuberance and delight, Laurie joined the IE team, almost incredulous that her colleagues figured out a way to spread mindfulness to all schools and to students and teachers simultaneously easily, effectively, sustainably and with scalability. As the Director of Social Justice and Educational Equity for Inner Explorer, she is as passionate as ever about spreading mindfulness as far and wide as possible.
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Displaying 1 - 27 of 27 reviews
August 22, 2020
Every classroom should have this, or more copies of this little book written by fifth grades students. It is perfect to help children (and adults) regulate their emotions and be ready to learn. It is NOT a book to read once, it is a guide for children and adults, to be accessed at many different moments in our lives. It can also be used with different age groups, since it is easy for the reading to be adapted in many different classroom situations.
I read the school book copy and I had to order a copy for myself, especially to be used during these times of stress, uncertainty, wacky politics, and covid distress.
I read the school book copy and I had to order a copy for myself, especially to be used during these times of stress, uncertainty, wacky politics, and covid distress.
December 28, 2016
This book was fascinating. I love the idea of teaching mindfulness to children. Learning to be mindful while young will help so much in life. I wish that more schools were teaching this skill. And I love that the students wrote this book.
December 4, 2018
Loved this book! I read a small section at a time to my young children, 3,6, and 8 and they loved it to. I found it very helpful and gave specifics tools and activities to practice being more aware and mindful of our emotions and brains.
May 31, 2017
Wordy, but good. Learn mindfulness from a classroom of 5th graders. Young or old, we all feel stressed from time to time. This book will help all ages relax and live more in the moment.
May 17, 2018
The cooperation of the children to write adds strength to this books's purpose, but far too many words especially for children.
December 22, 2018
A book created by fifth graders for use by their peers. Great way to get older kids involved in mindfulness.
October 28, 2020
It has a great message but a horrible presentation. Way too long and visually...just a mess.
Want to read
April 17, 2021Note: I received a digital review copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley.
May 13, 2021
It is a very good book to read with your kids. I am using the headspace app for meditation and this helped my daughter to understand more how the brain works and how to be mindful.
June 22, 2016
I've been on the lookout for a book that would serve as a good introduction to mindfulness for children and this one hits the mark beautifully. Written directly from the experiences and using images of a group of children in Oakland California, everything the book teaches feels very realistic and it gives me confidence that the techniques being taught can and will work.
While the book is written specifically for kids, I do think that it will work best as a partnership between a caring adult and a child or group of children. Following the steps outlined will be much easier if someone is working with a child (or group), reading the steps, and helping.
The photos and illustrations are great and I love the way brain science and emotions are discussed, in a way that is totally accessible to kids, respecting their intelligence, and building their self-esteem.
At first the font choices which vary throughout the book were a bit distracting, but then it struck me that, at least for me, they represented the diversity of the people who will pick up and read this book. These are experiences coming directly out of a 5th grade class, and I can see the blackboard in that classroom looking just like the pages of the book, depending on who is doing the writing.
This is a terrific book which teachers, parents, scout leaders, faith-groups, and many many others who work with children can and should use to introduce kids to mindfulness. I also know from first-hand experience, many stories out in the world, and from teachers who have incorporated mindfulness into their classrooms, that it works to dramatically reduce stress, decrease incidents of bullying and other types of violence, and improves performance in whatever task is at hand.
Thank you Mr. Musumeci (5th Grade Teacher) for helping to make this book possible and than you to Laurie Grossman and Angelina Alvarez AND New Harbinger Books for getting it out in the world.
We will soon have it on our shelves at http://www.reachandteach.com
While the book is written specifically for kids, I do think that it will work best as a partnership between a caring adult and a child or group of children. Following the steps outlined will be much easier if someone is working with a child (or group), reading the steps, and helping.
The photos and illustrations are great and I love the way brain science and emotions are discussed, in a way that is totally accessible to kids, respecting their intelligence, and building their self-esteem.
At first the font choices which vary throughout the book were a bit distracting, but then it struck me that, at least for me, they represented the diversity of the people who will pick up and read this book. These are experiences coming directly out of a 5th grade class, and I can see the blackboard in that classroom looking just like the pages of the book, depending on who is doing the writing.
This is a terrific book which teachers, parents, scout leaders, faith-groups, and many many others who work with children can and should use to introduce kids to mindfulness. I also know from first-hand experience, many stories out in the world, and from teachers who have incorporated mindfulness into their classrooms, that it works to dramatically reduce stress, decrease incidents of bullying and other types of violence, and improves performance in whatever task is at hand.
Thank you Mr. Musumeci (5th Grade Teacher) for helping to make this book possible and than you to Laurie Grossman and Angelina Alvarez AND New Harbinger Books for getting it out in the world.
We will soon have it on our shelves at http://www.reachandteach.com
May 20, 2016
This is book is the real deal...totally authentic...“the truth”...it is an honest, open-hearted expression of what it takes to really stop, take a moment and respond rather than react to things that are stressful and happening right now, in real time. These kids just tell it like it is and with their words and their beautiful art, they allow us to see how they are learning to come to grips with their humanness and how they have come to appreciate and respect the need to self-regulate. The staff and kids are 100% committed to this venture and that is evident from their honesty, bravery and creativity. I really appreciate how this book is presented, from the bright color schemes, the beautiful self-portraits, and the almost graphic novel-like approach, the book offers compelling examples from young people who are coping with stress by not hurting themselves or anyone else for that matter. Instead, they are willing to be calm, insightful, and kind. Masters of Mindfulness, written by Laurie Grossman, co-founder of Mindful Schools and Director of Program Development at Inner Explorer, and Mr. Musumeci's 5th Grade Class at Reach Academy in Oakland, California, introduces examples of how to be mindful in a straight forward approach, user-friendly manner and since it is written by kids, it is thoroughly believable.
This book is a huge success and it belongs in homes, libraries and on every park bench, school desk and bedside table!
This book is a huge success and it belongs in homes, libraries and on every park bench, school desk and bedside table!
February 6, 2016
(I received a free copy of this book from Net Galley in exchange for an honest review.)
Written by Laurie Grossman, cofounder of Mindful Schools and director of program development at Inner Explorer, and Mr. Musumeci’s fifth grade class at Reach Academy in Oakland, California, Master of Mindfulness presents helpful practices—mindful activities proven to make it easier to pay attention, accept yourself and others, manage your anger, and even get to sleep at night. The book features cool, mixed media illustrations with real kids’ drawings and stories about how mindfulness can help in different stressful situations. It even covers some of the brain science behind why mindfulness helps kids to feel better, stay in the present moment, be kind, and make good decisions. The book includes easy and fun practices, like mindful breathing, noticing your feelings, paying attention to your body, and mindful eating, as well as links to engaging audio recordings produced by Mr. Musumeci’s students.
A very helpful book for the classroom, this covers some pretty important ground for children who are learning to understand who they are, where they fit in the world and how to deal with things that upset them in a very simplified way.
It was nice that a lot of the work was done by kids themselves - adds a nice touch to the composition of the book.
Paul
ARH
Written by Laurie Grossman, cofounder of Mindful Schools and director of program development at Inner Explorer, and Mr. Musumeci’s fifth grade class at Reach Academy in Oakland, California, Master of Mindfulness presents helpful practices—mindful activities proven to make it easier to pay attention, accept yourself and others, manage your anger, and even get to sleep at night. The book features cool, mixed media illustrations with real kids’ drawings and stories about how mindfulness can help in different stressful situations. It even covers some of the brain science behind why mindfulness helps kids to feel better, stay in the present moment, be kind, and make good decisions. The book includes easy and fun practices, like mindful breathing, noticing your feelings, paying attention to your body, and mindful eating, as well as links to engaging audio recordings produced by Mr. Musumeci’s students.
A very helpful book for the classroom, this covers some pretty important ground for children who are learning to understand who they are, where they fit in the world and how to deal with things that upset them in a very simplified way.
It was nice that a lot of the work was done by kids themselves - adds a nice touch to the composition of the book.
Paul
ARH
February 26, 2016
This book is written in part by kids, for kids. It is a book on how to deal with stress and emotions. The ideas and methods presented in this book are easy to understand and to implement. As an adult, I too found the information to be helpful.
Too many kids today don't understand how to work through their emotions, and instead repress them or shove them down. I love that this book addresses that and teaches children how to use mindfulness to feel their emotions and continue moving forward while making better choices.
The reason I gave this book three stars is because the formatting of the book distracted from the message. For example, the font and letter size as well as the paragraph formatting and graphics used on some of the pages made it hard to focus on the material being covered.
That being said, the content is delivered with simplicity and authenticity. Overall, I enjoyed this book, and found myself learning a thing or two about mindfulness.
(I received a free copy of this book from Net Galley in exchange for an honest review).
Too many kids today don't understand how to work through their emotions, and instead repress them or shove them down. I love that this book addresses that and teaches children how to use mindfulness to feel their emotions and continue moving forward while making better choices.
The reason I gave this book three stars is because the formatting of the book distracted from the message. For example, the font and letter size as well as the paragraph formatting and graphics used on some of the pages made it hard to focus on the material being covered.
That being said, the content is delivered with simplicity and authenticity. Overall, I enjoyed this book, and found myself learning a thing or two about mindfulness.
(I received a free copy of this book from Net Galley in exchange for an honest review).
February 24, 2016
This book was written by Laurie Grossman, cofounder of Mindful Schools and director of program development at Inner Explorer, and Mr. Musumeci's fifth grade class at Reach Academy in Oakland, California. The purpose of the book is to help children (adults could benefit too) how to recognize the feelings they have and not act on them. The examples from the fifth graders of how they used this practice, are easy to understand because most children will relate to them. They include: getting hit with a ball; your cousin gets something you really wanted; the school project is a lot of work; someone wants you to do something you shouldn't, a family member doesn't live with you and you miss them and someone treated in a way that was mean.
I think this book would be a wonderful addition for schools and for at home use. Wouldn't it be nice if everyone learned to step back, take a few deep breaths, understand how the situation made them feel and not turn it into a bigger problem. I also enjoyed the photos and hand-drawn illustrations that added a nice touch to the book.
I think this book would be a wonderful addition for schools and for at home use. Wouldn't it be nice if everyone learned to step back, take a few deep breaths, understand how the situation made them feel and not turn it into a bigger problem. I also enjoyed the photos and hand-drawn illustrations that added a nice touch to the book.
February 19, 2016
Basically simple examples of how to use mindfulness, in both written and picture form. One is in Spanish. I was wondering how they were going to define mindfulness, which ended up being as simplistic as possible, though I suppose that was necessary, as I remembered kids are the target audience.
Usually I’m good with children’s books; I can put myself in the right frame of mind. {Shut up.} This one was not as easy, as—at least in the digital version—the fonts and graphics are difficult to read, part of that because they’re so small.
Difficult to give this a proper grade; it means well, but the execution could have been better. As far as the content, I’m not sure how well kids would take to it, but it certainly couldn’t hurt having them read it.
Usually I’m good with children’s books; I can put myself in the right frame of mind. {Shut up.} This one was not as easy, as—at least in the digital version—the fonts and graphics are difficult to read, part of that because they’re so small.
Difficult to give this a proper grade; it means well, but the execution could have been better. As far as the content, I’m not sure how well kids would take to it, but it certainly couldn’t hurt having them read it.
December 27, 2016
This is a colorful title for those interested in learning about the basics of "mindfulness". Many people talk about this but most don't explain how to do it. This book geared towards children first presents the benefits of using mindfulness in a large variety of situations then at the end it provides step by step instructions on how to practice various forms of mindfulness. Although written for children, adults who want a quick introduction to the practice will find this text helpful. An additional feature is a weblink that will take you to prerecorded mindfulness steps of instruction. The layout, graphics, fonts and binding leave much to be desired but this is a beauty of a find for those interested in the practice of mindfulness.
January 29, 2016
This book is written by a class of fifth graders to be used by other children. I think the idea of teaching and using Mindfulness to children who have difficulty controlling their feelings and actions is a great idea. This book could be used as a tool by CYWs, teachers and even parents. It gives several examples of when Mindfulness is used by the authors, then at the end goes through some exercises that should be used to practise it until you are comfortable with the techniques. The pictures are a combination of photographs and drawings. I think this book would be valuable in all school libraries.
I received a copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
I received a copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
February 9, 2016
I love the concept of this book and the importance of teaching our children mindfulness from an early age.
The art of mindfulness can help a young person cope with stress, bullying, conflict with family and so many other factors.
I loved the explicit directions on arriving at a state of mindfulness.
The only downside to this book for me was the multi-media illustration. This may show my age, so don't judge it for a young person based on my words. I found the hodge podge of pictures, drawings, etc. a little distracting and didn't put me in the frame of mind for a quiet mind.
Disclaimer: I was provided with an electronic copy of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review.
The art of mindfulness can help a young person cope with stress, bullying, conflict with family and so many other factors.
I loved the explicit directions on arriving at a state of mindfulness.
The only downside to this book for me was the multi-media illustration. This may show my age, so don't judge it for a young person based on my words. I found the hodge podge of pictures, drawings, etc. a little distracting and didn't put me in the frame of mind for a quiet mind.
Disclaimer: I was provided with an electronic copy of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review.
February 12, 2016
Wow! I was greatly impressed with this book. When I first saw the book and accepted the ARC, it just looked interesting. I had no idea it was done by by 5th graders at the Reach Academy. It's very informative and speaks to children in their age group rather than sounding like an adult talking to kids. It's very relatable. It's definitely something that I could see other teachers using as part of their reading programs to address the whole child and not just academics. This is learning across genres and life learning. Well done!
April 10, 2016
This book would be best for older kids (i.e., 10-14) who are learning how to use mindfulness. I like how the book starts out by giving kids' stories about how mindfulness helped them in their lives. I also like how simple the instructions are about how to be mindful (the five S'). The book was a little long for the simple message it was trying to communicate, so it got difficult to follow it all the way through. However, I do like that children were the ones communicating their message to other children, something that I feel is more well-received in that age group.
March 23, 2016
Well written book for kids. Great information on how to handle stress (some helpful tips for adults as well). Having my young son read for pointers, even though it is geared towards a younger audience. Some pages are distracting with the artwork, but after the first couple of pages, it no longer was an issue.
*I received a free copy of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review*
*I received a free copy of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review*
November 26, 2023
This book was written by students to help other kids deal with stressors in life. There are some great ideas. It is a little hard to read, however, due to the nature of the file. The message, though, is spot on. If you have anxious kids in your life, and who doesn't, read this book with them and give them some strategies to cope.
April 9, 2016
Trying to become more mindful is everywhere! I liked this because it is a book written by kids for kids. Lot's of good strategies for adults like me too. Good insights for dealing with powerful and consuming emotions. I took a few notes to apply myself! Great read. Thanks to Netgalley for allowing me to review it.
June 30, 2016
I won this book as part of a Goodreads Giveaway.
Excellent introduction to mindfulness for kids by kids complete with the practical knowledge of mindful practices, mindful scripts, and examples by the 5th grades who co-wrote the book where mindfulness has worked for them! I will definitely be staring this information!
Excellent introduction to mindfulness for kids by kids complete with the practical knowledge of mindful practices, mindful scripts, and examples by the 5th grades who co-wrote the book where mindfulness has worked for them! I will definitely be staring this information!
August 21, 2016
As I am just starting on my own mindfulness path, I was very excited to see this book on our new book truck. I am also excited to see that it was written by a 5th grade class along with help from teachers. In a time when kids are always connected and always on the go, mindfulness could be a useful tool to help them cope with emotions, activate different parts of their brain and feel better.
February 2, 2017
I love that this book includes really specific examples that are accessible to kids--when someone butted in front of you in line, when your cousin received a present that you wanted, and such. The mindfulness exercises are 1-3 minutes long. In my opinion, this is an excellent introduction for a younger child (grades K-2 or so) into mindfulness practice.
February 10, 2016
Helpful little book on making mindfulness part of everyday life even for school aged children. Practical examples and situations included in the book are definitely a plus.
Displaying 1 - 27 of 27 reviews