A lot of movement-themed picture books are not the best
bedtime picks because they can rile up little ones and make it hard for
them to fall asleep. But Good Night, Animal World -- a new children's book by yoga teacher and independent author Giselle Shardlow -- was written to be read
specifically at bedtime.
The yoga-inspired text and the illustrations by Emily Gedzyk are all meant to help wind children down at night so they can relax and sleep well. What a great premise -- and one that definitely got me excited (especially as a mother) to look inside this book!
The yoga-inspired text and the illustrations by Emily Gedzyk are all meant to help wind children down at night so they can relax and sleep well. What a great premise -- and one that definitely got me excited (especially as a mother) to look inside this book!
Inside, six characters take readers to six parts of the world -- Australia, England, Guatamala, India, Tanzania, and the United States -- to say goodnight to animals from those specific regions. Each page shows an illustration of an animal, accompanied by some simple text (some imagery about the animal and a goodnight message) and a yoga pose. The 13 poses in the book, chosen for their calming potential, include forward bends, restorative poses, gentle twists, and some inversions.
Below is the "turtle" page from the book, followed by a book trailer that includes other images from the book plus some book reviews -- all set to relaxing music, of course!
Below is the "turtle" page from the book, followed by a book trailer that includes other images from the book plus some book reviews -- all set to relaxing music, of course!
It's actually hard to see how children wouldn't be calm after finishing this book. "Embrace their creativity and let them experiment with the poses. Whatever helps them release extra energy before bedtime is the perfect pose," says Giselle. The poses are even laid out in a sequence that facilitates flow from one pose to the next. And my favorite part of the book? The resting pose at the end! Just thinking about it is making me super sleepy… I think I need to take a rest!
This post is part of a blog tour hosted by Mother Daughter Book Reviews, where you can also see the full schedule for the tour. To learn more about author Giselle Shardlow and her series of Yoga Kid Stories, go to her website at www.kidsyogastories.com.
It is so great to hear your perspective on the yogaas a dancer. Yoga, similar to dance (I imagine, not being much of a dancer myself), involves a mind-body connection. Like you say, that could awaken your mind and body, or calm them instead. That resting pose is so awesome. Whenever I do yoga I always end up "sleeping" at the end. It's the worse feeling to have to re-awaken my body after a long yoga session. Thanks so much for sharing your thoughts in the Good Night Blog Tour.
ReplyDeleteHi, Renee. I had a lot of fun on the tour -- my first one ever -- so thanks for including me. A lot of modern dance classes incorporate some yoga into them, and I've fallen asleep during the resting pose, too!!! :)
DeleteThank you, Kerry, for your awesome book review of Good Night, Animal World. As Renee says, it's such a pleasure to hear your perspective as a dancer. We should definitely collaborate on ways to integrate movement and reading. Let's chat! I really appreciate you joining our book tour.
ReplyDeleteHi, Giselle. Thanks for stopping by. It was fun to review a book with a specific aim to incorporate movement. And yes, a collaboration sounds wonderful! Talk to you soon :)
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