Book of the Month: Here and Now

I used Here and Now by Julia Denos for my yoga and mindfulness storytime and thought that it deserved to be Book of the Month for October. 

The book sparked conversation and the kids liked talking about the things that were around us and observing the present, which became quite engaging for them. 

Summary: Illustrations and easy-to-read text celebrate mindfulness and the connectedness of everything on Earth.

Ages: 4-7 years

“Right here, right now you are becoming.”

This book is a perfect children’s book for teaching mindfulness and the pictures are so beautiful and tranquil.

Fitting for a storytime or a book that would calm your child before bed and explain how so many things are happening and growing around us while we sit still and observe.

It’s also a great conversation starter with your kids about the present moment, all what’s going on around us, and how we are all part of it.

Family Storytime: Yoga and Mindfulness

This was a nice, calm storytime about yoga and mindfulness. It was our first storytime using this theme and I would definitely revisit it again.

I started off storytime with our familiar bean bag song and then I explained a little bit about yoga and mindfulness and asked some questions about our topic.

I started by reading Zoo Zen: A YogaStory for Kids that is a book that explains yoga using cute animal characters and showing each yoga pose they do. The kids were eager to try each pose and they were pros! This was great because they were involved, got in their exercise, and were focused.

We then read Yoga Bunny by Brian Russo. This is another cute yoga book about a bunny who wants his friends to do yoga with them, but they needed to focus and clear their minds first before Yoga Bunny got all his forest friends involved.

We did a few breathing and mindfulness exercises using Kira Willey's Mindful Moments cd and then we read our last book, Here and Now by Julia Denos. This was the perfect book to end this storytime because it was such a peaceful book to read.

For our craft, we made mandalas out of paper and paint. The kids loved painting and focused on it very well and then had fun seeing how their designs would look like after they folder their paper circles in half.

This is a perfect theme to do for a smaller storytime group.

Other Books:

Yoga Friends Mariam Gates

I Am Yoga Susan Verde

Belly Breathe Leslie Kimmelman

Book of the Month: Kaya's Heart Song

What drew me to Sander's book was the beautiful illustrations by Nerina Canzi. I dare you to find a more colorful picture book! 

 Summary: Kaya is looking for her heart song--the song that happy hearts sing. Her search takes her on a journey deep into the jungle where a broken down carousel waits for a very special song to make it turn again. 

"Let me tell you a secret--if you have a heart song, anything is possible. Even magic!"

Age Range: 4-6 years

If you're looking for a picture book that rolls meditation, peacefulness, mindfulness, and yoga all into one...this is your book! Different yoga poses are illustrated beautifully and are incorporated into this book about Kaya trying to find her heart song and bringing a elephant carousel to life. 

I thought this was a really pleasant story with incredible artwork and feel-good message. These types of books are really becoming a trend. 

Book of the Month: Now

I originally picked up this picture book because it was listed as one of the select few of children's books that teach mindfulness and appreciating each moment. I read a lot of books on mindfulness and being present in the moment and thought that it would be a great idea to teach using a picture book. With yoga for babies being trendy, I find these types of books will get more and more wanted as well.

Summary: Follow a little girl as she takes you on a tour through all of her favorite things, from the holes she digs to the hugs she gives.

Age Range: 3-6 years

"And this is my favorite now because it's the one I am having...with you."

The pictures are simple, which goes perfectly with the message of being present and staying in the moment. There are also short sentences that make this book perfect for storytime. If this book was lengthy and illustrated busily, it certainly would not have fit author Antoinette Portis' intention. 

This is a great lesson-oriented book to teach youngsters about focusing on what they are experiencing each moment.