Listen Like an Elephant

December 15, 2019
Elephant loves using her big ears to notice all of the sounds around her, and readers can too! This offering is one in a series of mindfulness practice books for children written by well-known children's yoga-and-mindfulness musician Willey. In place of a story, the vibrantly illustrated board book offers a simple and age-appropriate mindful-listening practice for children. Readers are invited to take a deep breath, still their bodies, and open up to all of the sounds around them, in all directions, up close and far away. The instructions are straightforward, asking readers, "what do you hear?" The lack of superfluous text creates an introductory mindfulness practice perfectly suited to its audience and to the adults who share it with them. The illustrated jungle animals seem to shimmer as they serenely breathe and observe what they hear. There is no judgment about the sounds one may encounter; the objective is simply to observe what is. This restrained approach sets this book apart in the growing realm of mindfulness books for children. Although there is no additional information for adults about mindful-listening practice, the text itself is simple enough for even the mindfulness novice to understand and model while reading. Like its companion, Breathe Like a Bear, this is adapted from a longer, 2017 title for preschoolers also titled Breathe Like a Bear and is one of those rare board adaptations that works for its audience. A wonderful adaptation of mindfulness practice into board-book format. (Board book. 1-4)

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