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Exploring Our Community
Follow Your Breath!: A First Book of Mindfulness
Part of the popular Exploring Our Community series, here’s the perfect child-friendly introduction to mindfulness. Friends Yulee, Nick, Martin and Sally are at Pedro’s house for a sleepover. Pedro is moving in a few days, and he’s been feeling both sad about leaving his old house and worried he won’t be happy in his new one. To try to help Pedro feel better, his mom decides to teach the five friends about mindfulness, which is, as she describes it, “being aware of what is happening right now.” As the children practice focusing on their bodies, using their senses, paying attention to their feelings and accepting life as it happens, Pedro learns there are many ways to manage the stress of his upcoming move. As with all the titles in the popular Exploring Our Community series, award-winning author Scot Ritchie tells an engaging story about five culturally diverse friends while also providing comprehensive factual information on each spread. Fun mindfulness activities follow the story. Studies have shown the many benefits of mindfulness for young children — from increased attention and self-control to decreased stress and disruptive behavior — and teachers are using it more and more in the classroom. By learning how to incorporate mindfulness into their lives, children gain lifelong coping skills they can use to stay physically and mentally healthy. All the facts in the book have been reviewed by a mindfulness expert.
32 pages, Hardcover
Published October 6, 2020
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Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews
April 25, 2020
Follow Your Breath! A First Book of Mindfulness. Text and illustrations by Scot Ritchie. Kids Can Press. Children's Nonfiction. Publication date: 06 Oct 2020. ISBN: 9781525303364. 32 pages. Digital copy. 5 Stars.
Cute colorful illustrations with easy-to-follow text about how mindfulness can be relaxing as well as help kids cope with stressful situations, with a special emphasis in turning to gardens and nature as well as to pets! Highly recommend.
Thanks to NetGalley and Kids Can Press for providing a digital copy of this book for review.
Cute colorful illustrations with easy-to-follow text about how mindfulness can be relaxing as well as help kids cope with stressful situations, with a special emphasis in turning to gardens and nature as well as to pets! Highly recommend.
Thanks to NetGalley and Kids Can Press for providing a digital copy of this book for review.
July 22, 2020
Keep Calm and Read on
It is easy for children to feel overwhelmed in this technology age and the over stimulation of our world. They can develop anxiety and not be able to solve problems. This book along aside parents and teachers will give children the tools to use all the senses to be mindful. Instead of their mind going a muck, they will develop skills to focus on one thing and move on.
It is the practice of mindfulness to know what is going on around them and to use their senses of touch, sight, hearing, and taste to calm their mind. Learning to breath and to know when they are feeling anxious and why. Being mindful is doing one thing at a time.
The book centers on a little boy who is anxious about moving and his mother helps him to face and not deny those feelings. A good resource for both parent and child to be engaged with their emotions.
A Special thank you to Kids Can Press and Netgalley for the ARC and the opportunity to post an honest review
It is easy for children to feel overwhelmed in this technology age and the over stimulation of our world. They can develop anxiety and not be able to solve problems. This book along aside parents and teachers will give children the tools to use all the senses to be mindful. Instead of their mind going a muck, they will develop skills to focus on one thing and move on.
It is the practice of mindfulness to know what is going on around them and to use their senses of touch, sight, hearing, and taste to calm their mind. Learning to breath and to know when they are feeling anxious and why. Being mindful is doing one thing at a time.
The book centers on a little boy who is anxious about moving and his mother helps him to face and not deny those feelings. A good resource for both parent and child to be engaged with their emotions.
A Special thank you to Kids Can Press and Netgalley for the ARC and the opportunity to post an honest review
March 1, 2021
DoctorMicah strong rec
May 23, 2020
I received an electronic ARC from Kids Can Press through NetGalley.
Relatable story - Pedro is moving and sad. His friends join him for a sleepover before he moves. They play mindfulness games throughout the party. A situation readers can understand.
Mindfulness information - Easy to follow explanations and exercises on each spread. Further games and glossary at the end of the book. Seamlessly woven into the actual story.
The illustrations are colorful and welcoming for elementary level readers.
Great book to read as a family or school read aloud near the beginning of the year.
Relatable story - Pedro is moving and sad. His friends join him for a sleepover before he moves. They play mindfulness games throughout the party. A situation readers can understand.
Mindfulness information - Easy to follow explanations and exercises on each spread. Further games and glossary at the end of the book. Seamlessly woven into the actual story.
The illustrations are colorful and welcoming for elementary level readers.
Great book to read as a family or school read aloud near the beginning of the year.
April 24, 2020
I'm not a huge fan of the mindfulness vibe. Something it feel wrong or are poorly explain or whatever. But... I have to say that this one really focus on the important basis of it all. Present it well and done a very good job bringing the essential and explaining them. Good surprise!
July 5, 2020
Not Sure If It Works as Formatted
I am not quite sure what to think about this book. It certainly is not your standard picture book meant for young children. Each two-page spread has a left-hand side panel with small text that is meant to be read to the child but is probably too small for them to attempt to read along with. Some pages have very specific mindfulness exercises with numbered directions, like for a body scan, but most are more vague. There is a story here about young Pedro who is anxious about his move away from his friends. The story is that his mother is going to teach him and his friends mindfulness to help relieve anxiety and sadness. I'm wondering if the picture part of the book just should have been the story part, with all of the exercises, whether numbered ones or more general ones, should have all been placed in the back for the adults. That way, just a story could be read, and the adult and child could pick one activity to try. Perhaps that's how this book should be read to a child. It could certainly be read in bits and pieces, if a parent prefers, though the narrative of the book might be lost then. I think teaching children about mindfulness is a brilliant idea, but I am not sure about this particular presentation of it. I'm also unsure about the age range this is truly targeted for. Some aspects of it pointed to children before they enter school, while other parts of it seem geared for young elementary students. All in all, I am not sure if this book would truly help a parent give a child a greater appreciation and the gift of mindfulness.
I received a free copy of this book, but that did not affect my review.
My book blog: https://www.readingfanaticreviews.com
I am not quite sure what to think about this book. It certainly is not your standard picture book meant for young children. Each two-page spread has a left-hand side panel with small text that is meant to be read to the child but is probably too small for them to attempt to read along with. Some pages have very specific mindfulness exercises with numbered directions, like for a body scan, but most are more vague. There is a story here about young Pedro who is anxious about his move away from his friends. The story is that his mother is going to teach him and his friends mindfulness to help relieve anxiety and sadness. I'm wondering if the picture part of the book just should have been the story part, with all of the exercises, whether numbered ones or more general ones, should have all been placed in the back for the adults. That way, just a story could be read, and the adult and child could pick one activity to try. Perhaps that's how this book should be read to a child. It could certainly be read in bits and pieces, if a parent prefers, though the narrative of the book might be lost then. I think teaching children about mindfulness is a brilliant idea, but I am not sure about this particular presentation of it. I'm also unsure about the age range this is truly targeted for. Some aspects of it pointed to children before they enter school, while other parts of it seem geared for young elementary students. All in all, I am not sure if this book would truly help a parent give a child a greater appreciation and the gift of mindfulness.
I received a free copy of this book, but that did not affect my review.
My book blog: https://www.readingfanaticreviews.com
December 28, 2020
How can we use our senses to help calm ourselves? Pedro is anxious about moving to a new house, so his mom guides him and his friends through various situations to learn about mindfulness. Told as a story, each page also has explicit instructions on how to use your senses, your breath, certain environments, even your pet, to slow yourself down and notice what’s around you.
Simple font can be easily read by middle elementary readers, but would be very useful in the hands of an adult to introduce mindfulness or extend and develop a regular habit of learning how to slow down oneself and take notice of what’s around you. One page says, “...pay attention” in an encouraging way with specific actions to take which could be very helpful to students who hear that phrase in an not-so encouraging tone.
Readers could use the Table of Contents to select various topics, and it could be read as a story. Full color, cartoonish illustrations capture the intent of each page.
Very good purchase for children’s health collections, but adults: Beware! Adults may find some ideas YOU could use!
Simple font can be easily read by middle elementary readers, but would be very useful in the hands of an adult to introduce mindfulness or extend and develop a regular habit of learning how to slow down oneself and take notice of what’s around you. One page says, “...pay attention” in an encouraging way with specific actions to take which could be very helpful to students who hear that phrase in an not-so encouraging tone.
Readers could use the Table of Contents to select various topics, and it could be read as a story. Full color, cartoonish illustrations capture the intent of each page.
Very good purchase for children’s health collections, but adults: Beware! Adults may find some ideas YOU could use!
June 21, 2020
This book serves as a great introduction to mindfulness for children. In Follow Your Breath we follow a boy named Pedro as he discovers he is moving away and consequently becomes anxious and sad. Here, Pedro and the audience discover methods and explanations regarding mindfulness. Not only is the book informational, but it also contains several exercises and examples on how to practice mindfulness (such as utilising senses and breathing exercises among many others). The content is engaging and the accompanying illustrations are vibrant and cute, therefore suitable for young readers.
The text may be a little long for younger children, but it can be consumed in bite-sized pieces. Overall, this was an enjoyable read and I highly recommend this for parents or educators wanting to familiarise the concept of mindfulness to kids.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
The text may be a little long for younger children, but it can be consumed in bite-sized pieces. Overall, this was an enjoyable read and I highly recommend this for parents or educators wanting to familiarise the concept of mindfulness to kids.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
February 4, 2023
Follow Your Breath was a book with a good concept, but felt like it lacked something in execution. This fictionalized account of children using a variety of mindfulness based practices to cope with feelings might be helpful in allowing children permission to slow down, be present and accept how they are feeling by providing them with language and techniques to express themselves and not suppress or avoid their feelings, which of course are positive objectives. The story plot felt a bit forced with a lot crammed in for one plot line. I actually think this would have been better as a straight non-fiction juvenile book than layering a story on top that didn't feel needed to the concepts being conveyed. In this case, the story felt like more distraction than vehicle for enhancing topical learning. It was a decent story, just not fantastic.
May 25, 2020
I requested and received an e-ARC of this book from NetGalley and Kids Can Press in exchange for my honest opinion.
I thought this book did a great job of explaining the feelings children may have when moving and the mindfulness practices they could use to focus on the things they can control. I would have purchased this book for my daughter before our first move if it had existed 15 years ago!
I loved the different mindfulness exercises included throughout the book. I am definitely going to try the ‘Eye of an Eagle’ exercise with my nieces and nephews when we have our next family gathering.
I thought this book did a great job of explaining the feelings children may have when moving and the mindfulness practices they could use to focus on the things they can control. I would have purchased this book for my daughter before our first move if it had existed 15 years ago!
I loved the different mindfulness exercises included throughout the book. I am definitely going to try the ‘Eye of an Eagle’ exercise with my nieces and nephews when we have our next family gathering.
May 5, 2020
I love love LOVE books on teaching children mindfulness. The illustrations were cute and colorful.
The author did a great job writing a story about Pedro, his sadness over moving and learning how to be mindful to help alleviate his stress over leaving his friends and his house. Throughout the book the author gave several fun examples for children of how to be mindful.
I would recommend this book.
The author did a great job writing a story about Pedro, his sadness over moving and learning how to be mindful to help alleviate his stress over leaving his friends and his house. Throughout the book the author gave several fun examples for children of how to be mindful.
I would recommend this book.
November 19, 2020
This book is about mindfulness. It's an important subject for children. I think it would be a great addition to any school or classroom library. The author follows Pedro as he learns about mindfulness to help him adjust to a move. There are mindfulness lessons throughout and at the end there are mindfulness games. The game "Eyes of an Eagle" sounds fantastic. I wish all schools would have mindfulness training.
March 20, 2021
I think this is a good set-up for talking about mindfulness, but for me the story felt very artificial and hokey. I do think that it's good for everyone to learn about mindfulness and this is a great introduction. I just think it could have been approached differently. (Also no references, no further reading, no author note.)
May 7, 2020
Follow Your Breath! is an absolutely perfect book for young people to learn about mindfulness. The way it is written is both engaging and informational. This is an excellent book for classroom and home use. I will be recommending this book to my colleagues.
July 7, 2021
This book has very nice explanations of how we can use mindfulness to help us focus or relax. It's great to have the small community of children who are friends try the different activities in the context of some real-life situations.
September 30, 2021
I received a free ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
This one just didn't work for me. There are already so many mindfulness/calming books out there that, so I really expect something unique from this point on. The text is very small. The pictures were bright and colorful.
This one just didn't work for me. There are already so many mindfulness/calming books out there that, so I really expect something unique from this point on. The text is very small. The pictures were bright and colorful.
Want to Read
June 10, 2020Note: I received a digital review copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley.
February 17, 2021
The fictional storyline underpinning this gets lost, and the mindfulness is a bit heavy-handed. A good primer for they WHYs of meditation, okay on the HOWs. A bit wordy for the audience.
April 15, 2021
A great way to introduce the concept of mindfulness. I like how it focuses on the practical. We're not just doing breathing exercises and thinking happy thoughts here.
November 8, 2021
A good book to teach SEL, self management.
May 29, 2020
In this everyday busy lifestyle we all need mindful moments. It's best to practice mindfulness from early life and this book is perfect for it. The book is fun, interactive, informative and helpful. A must have book.
Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews