A cat who lives in a Hawaiian ashram demonstrates yoga poses in this picture book.
Bindi is a stray calico cat that spends one of her nine lives at an ashram after being adopted by Ramakrishna, who lives there. Though deemed scrawny and ugly at first, the cat blossoms at her new home, and seven years later she’s purred her way firmly into the heart of her new owner and become an integral part of the ashram community. Life at the ashram includes seva, or unselfish service to others, a duty Bindi fulfills by teaching a group of diverse students her own style of kitty yoga (“Sometimes we have classes with all Japanese students, so I’ve learned to speak Japanese! It’s so wonderful to know a foreign language!”). Bindi also inspires her owner to overcome obstacles, such as figuring out how to get down from the branches of the ashram’s bodhi tree when he becomes stuck. As Bindi narrates her story, she includes observations inspired by Buddhist principles, such as, when people “meditate they find that god exists right inside of them,” and “even though we all look different on the outside, we are all the same inside.” At the end of the story, the cat explains how to perform a basic mindfulness/meditation technique that focuses on deep breathing and mentally expressing gratitude for positive people and influences. In this engaging book, Michaels (Growing Old with Grace, 2015) builds a charming tale for children around Buddhist ideas and practices. Illustrator Porter’s (The Puzalings and the Puzville Pollution, 2016) artwork enhances the story with lush Hawaiian flowers and cheerful ashram scenes, rendered in warm hues. The underlying philosophy expressed in this colorful book may be too much for parents who’re merely looking for yoga instruction geared to children, but it never gets too heavy. Bindi may even inspire kids to get on the floor and try a few poses—especially Cat-Cow.
A quirky and bright introduction to meditation and Buddhism and an appealing addition to the subgenre of books on children’s yoga practice.Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2016
ISBN: 978-0-9978810-1-1
Page Count: 38
Publisher: Moana Publications
Review Posted Online: Feb. 6, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2017
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
Categories: CHILDREN'S GENERAL CHILDREN'S
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A collection of parental wishes for a child.
It starts out simply enough: two children run pell-mell across an open field, one holding a high-flying kite with the line “I wish you more ups than downs.” But on subsequent pages, some of the analogous concepts are confusing or ambiguous. The line “I wish you more tippy-toes than deep” accompanies a picture of a boy happily swimming in a pool. His feet are visible, but it's not clear whether he's floating in the deep end or standing in the shallow. Then there's a picture of a boy on a beach, his pockets bulging with driftwood and colorful shells, looking frustrated that his pockets won't hold the rest of his beachcombing treasures, which lie tantalizingly before him on the sand. The line reads: “I wish you more treasures than pockets.” Most children will feel the better wish would be that he had just the right amount of pockets for his treasures. Some of the wordplay, such as “more can than knot” and “more pause than fast-forward,” will tickle older readers with their accompanying, comical illustrations. The beautifully simple pictures are a sweet, kid- and parent-appealing blend of comic-strip style and fine art; the cast of children depicted is commendably multiethnic.
Although the love comes shining through, the text often confuses in straining for patterned simplicity. (Picture book. 5-8)Pub Date: April 1, 2015
ISBN: 978-1-4521-2699-9
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Chronicle Books
Review Posted Online: Feb. 15, 2015
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2015
Categories: CHILDREN'S GENERAL CHILDREN'S
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A sweet, soft conversation starter and a charming gift.
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A paean to teachers and their surrogates everywhere.
This gentle ode to a teacher’s skill at inspiring, encouraging, and being a role model is spoken, presumably, from a child’s viewpoint. However, the voice could equally be that of an adult, because who can’t look back upon teachers or other early mentors who gave of themselves and offered their pupils so much? Indeed, some of the self-aware, self-assured expressions herein seem perhaps more realistic as uttered from one who’s already grown. Alternatively, readers won’t fail to note that this small book, illustrated with gentle soy-ink drawings and featuring an adult-child bear duo engaged in various sedentary and lively pursuits, could just as easily be about human parent- (or grandparent-) child pairs: some of the softly colored illustrations depict scenarios that are more likely to occur within a home and/or other family-oriented setting. Makes sense: aren’t parents and other close family members children’s first teachers? This duality suggests that the book might be best shared one-on-one between a nostalgic adult and a child who’s developed some self-confidence, having learned a thing or two from a parent, grandparent, older relative, or classroom instructor.
A sweet, soft conversation starter and a charming gift. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: March 1, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-943200-08-5
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Compendium
Review Posted Online: Dec. 13, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2017
Categories: CHILDREN'S GENERAL CHILDREN'S
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