Flora and the Flamingo by Molly Idle
A bathing beauty named Flora dances with a flamingo in this innovative, wordless book. She begins nonchalantly copying the moves of her long legged friend, but the bird does not appreciate the imitation of his moves. The partners do sort out the problem and dance elegantly together. The lift flaps are fun for little fingers, and the story is sure to make a splash with your yogis! Several pages are yoga moves—balances and folds—you can incorporate in the practice. Partner poses will be fun to celebrate the cooperation and synchronicity of the dance. The illustrations are lovely, and you can follow up with Flora in the sequel, Flora and the Penguin. Friendship IS a dance. This book captures the ups and downs of relationship with grace and beauty.
View the Book Demo
The happy, simple, brightly colored illustrations captivate the reader! The impossibilities of cows hopping and rhinos flying creates laughter for the small and the tall. How cool to be the one critter who can hop, fly, slither, swim and crawl?! It’s fun to read, move and breathe with this book.
Need a “5 Minute Yoga Break?” Pick up this book and read the story to get young yogis moving and ready to focus. This book reads like a dance. Maybe you can’t “do” every line in the book, but it’s sure to “wake you up” so you’re ready for anything!
Mira shares this good book in her trainings. Kiddos move their bodies from top to the bottom, pretending to be an animal with each movement. Have the little ones repeat the affirmative language “I can do it!” after each movement, just like in the book. Another good “5 Minute Yoga Break” kind of story!
How does a duck walk? How does a bear walk? Explore how a variety of animals ambulate. The onomatopoeia (sounds of the walking) give voice to the different movements. These will be fun to say as you walk like the animals. This story may inspire a fun relay race? Which animals were built for speed? What’s your favorite way to walk?
And after you “Wiggle Waggle” you can “Wiggle Your Waggles Away” with Raffi! This fun song converted to story is another great movement break. Sheet music is included at the end of the book or you can Google the song and listen to Raffi sing in concert: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IffAIq-jOdI
Shake My Sillies Out is another good book to get kiddos moving and then ready for a quieter, more focused activity.
Move! by Steve Jenkins and Robin Page
Each movement described in the wonderous book is connected from one animal to the next. Steve Jenkins collaborates with his wife, Robin Page, to once again create a winning combination for science and children. His eye popping cut- and torn-paper collage illustrations are uniquely realistic and intriguing. The facts included at the end of the book are fascinating to follow up with more information on each animal. “Action is the name of the game, so Move!”
This is a simple, prereader story that encourages your young yogis to read “without even looking at the book!” The repetitive text explores how Bee the Bee, Bird the Bird, and Bat the Bat can fly. How about Rhino the Rhino? Rhino maybe couldn’t fly in Who Hops? by Katie Davis but the surprise ending in this book shares how Rhino the Rhino can fly! Be sure to take note of Cat the Cat in Warrior 3 on the dedication page. Yes, we ALL can fly!
Have fun MOOOving! SMALL movements, like turning the pages of a good book, make a BIG impact on ALL brains and bodies. Namaste!
