A fun, creative, and accessible introduction to yoga and its benefits.
Siblings use their imaginations while practicing yoga in Rose’s debut picture book
White-presenting, dark-haired siblings Lily and Lee are stuck inside their colorful home while it rains. Lily has an idea; she offers to teach her little brother yoga to “turn the day sunny instead of sad.” The girl explains that during yoga, they will pretend to be “Airplanes, snakes, and volcanoes, / Lions, butterflies and rainbows.” She guides her brother through various poses, including Butterfly, Volcano, Warrior, and more. During Downward Dog, for example, Lily says, “Wag your tail up to the sky, nose down low and bottom up high. / Spread your paws.” Next, the girl has an idea to practice Sun Salutations. She says, “Salutations will bring out the sun, a sign in the sky when you are done.” When they reach Rainbow Pose, the kids notice the rain has stopped. Now they feel invigorated. The story here is fun and imaginative. Rose portrays the benefits of yoga in a kid-friendly, inspiring way. Upbeat, positive sentiments (“When you feel blue on a stormy day, / Yoga can make the rain go away,” etc.) will encourage youngsters to follow along or start a practice of their own. Green’s realistic, friendly illustrations use vibrant colors, and backdrops cleverly mirror the poses. For example, during Tree Pose, the siblings are shown among greenery and trees. When they practice Cat and Cow, they are in front of a red barn. A short section titled “Did You Know?” provides a few facts about rainbows.
A fun, creative, and accessible introduction to yoga and its benefits.Pub Date: Dec. 8, 2020
ISBN: 978-0-57-881168-0
Page Count: 34
Publisher: Susan Rose Yoga
Review Posted Online: April 26, 2021
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
A memorable story of kindness, courage and wonder.
After being home-schooled for years, Auggie Pullman is about to start fifth grade, but he’s worried: How will he fit into middle school life when he looks so different from everyone else?
Auggie has had 27 surgeries to correct facial anomalies he was born with, but he still has a face that has earned him such cruel nicknames as Freak, Freddy Krueger, Gross-out and Lizard face. Though “his features look like they’ve been melted, like the drippings on a candle” and he’s used to people averting their eyes when they see him, he’s an engaging boy who feels pretty ordinary inside. He’s smart, funny, kind and brave, but his father says that having Auggie attend Beecher Prep would be like sending “a lamb to the slaughter.” Palacio divides the novel into eight parts, interspersing Auggie’s first-person narrative with the voices of family members and classmates, wisely expanding the story beyond Auggie’s viewpoint and demonstrating that Auggie’s arrival at school doesn’t test only him, it affects everyone in the community. Auggie may be finding his place in the world, but that world must find a way to make room for him, too.
A memorable story of kindness, courage and wonder. (Fiction. 8-14)Pub Date: Feb. 14, 2012
ISBN: 978-0-375-86902-0
Page Count: 320
Publisher: Knopf
Review Posted Online: Dec. 2, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 15, 2011
PROFILES
An accessible entrance into the world of social-emotional skills.
What do you do when the world turns upside down?
Freckled redhead Tilda is a happy only child with a rollicking personality. With lots of books and toys and a multiracial group of friends, life is perfect as far as she’s concerned…until her world undergoes a troubling change (a subtle hint in the illustrations suggests that Tilda’s parents have divorced). Suddenly, nothing feels right, everything seems hard, and she doesn’t want to play with her friends. To reflect this emotional disorientation, the artwork shows Tilda in spatially distorted settings, complete with upside-down objects. It’s not until she sees an upturned ladybug struggle persistently before getting back on its feet (despite Tilda’s desire to help, the ladybug needs to help itself) that Tilda gains the courage to start taking baby steps in order to cope with her new reality. There are still challenges, and she needs to persevere, but eventually, she regains her zest for life and reconnects with her friends. Despite this, the ending avoids an easy happily-ever-after, which feels just right for the subject matter. Though a trifle didactic, the story sends an important message about the roles of self-efficacy and persistence when it comes to overcoming challenges and building resilience. Percival’s digital illustrations use transitions from grayscale to color to create symbolic meaning and have psychological depth, deftly capturing a child’s experience of trauma.
An accessible entrance into the world of social-emotional skills. (author's note) (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: March 1, 2022
ISBN: 978-1-5476-0822-5
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Bloomsbury
Review Posted Online: Dec. 26, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 15, 2022
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