What's in Your Mind Today?

A solid and unintimidating introduction to mindfulness meditation for young readers.

Bladen, a meditation teacher, takes young readers through a guided mindfulness exercise in rhyme. A circle of children sit outdoors on blankets with their shoes off, eyes closed in participation: "Take a deep breath in... and out it goes. Can you feel the air rushing through your nose?" Elsewhere, Perrini depicts a pair of air-filled lungs, colorful hot air balloons floating peacefully within. As the kids are encouraged to "take a look at the thoughts in your mind," the reader is shown what's occurring within, behind facial silhouettes: Molly, whose thoughts "flit and flutter all over the skies," has a head full of butterflies, while Oliver stares down a monster of a thought. Bladen's rhyming structure does more to distract than support the exercise, and the meandering narrative makes the meditation difficult to follow. Perrini's cheerful, childlike scrawls pack an imaginative punch that supports the narrative visualization. Ages 3-8. (Feb.)

PreS-Gr 1--Everyone has thoughts that can cloud their brain and distract or worry them. But with simple breathing techniques and recognizing that each person has their own troublesome thoughts, it becomes easier to calm down, take a breath, and gain some peace of mind. Thus, this quick and helpful instructional story helps young children work towards dealing with their own chaotic thoughts. Originally published in Australia, Bladen's story makes its American debut. To start, the book highlights the words In and Out and from there the cadence of the book mimics breathing, and counts the number of breaths the reader is taking. Each successive page features the profile of a child, with the silhouette full of brightly illustrated images related to the child's specific wandering thoughts, whether they are bouncing, worrisome, or flitting. For example; one child's thoughts are bubbles, boiling and bursting, offering readers a pleasing alliterative metaphor. The story affirms that it is okay for children to have a difficult time with their thoughts while also offering a tried and true practice for coping. VERDICT Full of rhyme and clever poetic devices, this simple yet powerful story is a great guided meditation for young children.--Kaitlin Malixi, Kensington Health Sciences Academy, Philadelphia