See How We Move!

March 1, 2018
Ritchie's five friends learn about keeping their minds and bodies fit and healthy as they prepare for a swim meet.This latest in the Exploring Our Community series follows Pedro, Sally, Nick, Yulee, and Martin as they practice once more before tomorrow's race, have fun together, and meet an Olympic swimmer. Using proper equipment for your sport, warming up, understanding where you need to improve and setting goals for yourself, decreasing anxiety and stress, hand-washing, eating a variety of healthy foods, and engaging in deep breathing and visualization are among the topics briefly addressed. Ritchie emphasizes throughout the importance of the mind-body connection: How one feels influences the other. Backmatter includes some fun things kids can do with their friends to achieve their 60 to 90 minutes of activity each day and a list of defined terms. This entry is not as seamless as See What We Eat (2017) in terms of either the flow of the story or folding in the learning without seeming didactic. The story is thin, but the relationships among the five kids (four with light skin and varying hair colors, one with dark skin and hair) continue to be a highlight. They cheer for and support one another and truly enjoy being together and having fun.Not the strongest in the series, but a good introduction to keeping the mind and body active and healthy. (Informational picture book. 4-8)

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April 1, 2018
Grades K-2 Sitting is the new smoking: getting Americans moving is a public health priority. This introduction to adopting an active lifestyle offers a two-pronged approach. One narrative aligns closely with the charming digital illustrations, which feature a diverse group of young kids preparing for a swim meet: stretching, practicing, goofing around, eating healthy, having a group hug, and competing with no final results shown, just the satisfaction of having done their best. A second narrative appears below the first, in bold font, and offers more sophisticated insights that complement the main text. For example, on the page mentioning the group hug, the added material advises talking to an adult when feeling anxious or sad. This dual treatment makes for a great read-aloud for younger audiences and then easily extends into curriculum support for elementary health units. Other pages discuss proper equipment, hand washing, and body, mind, and brain connections. Cute pictures, an engaging story, and lots of facts.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2018, American Library Association.)