Full Moon at the Napping House by Audrey and Don Wood (hot off the press—September 1, 2015)
I’ve always been a fan of Audrey and Don Wood’s work! The Napping House is one of my favorites. I appreciate the beautiful way Don incorporates color: how the sun gently wakes the household as you turn the pages, beginning cool blue moving to bright, sunny yellow. The use of repetition, alliteration, and rhyme is engaging for young readers, tickling their ears. AND NOW, 30 years later, we have a sequel: Full Moon at the Napping House. So instead of everyone sleeping, everyone is RESTLESS! How cool to incorporate this story with your yoga practice, targeting postures for relaxation and calm?! On her web site http://www.audreywood.com/, Audrey and her husband share about the book. Many of their books have “secrets” and in this new one, a character from The Napping House is missing! Have fun comparing these two stories to discover and rediscover together.
Goodnight Moon by Margaret Wise Brown
This one is a classic. With simple text and simple illustrations, this story leaves a lasting impact on the reader. The little one puts off sleep by saying “good night” to everything, including the moon! Connect this story with the full body scan technique! How soothing to systematically work through your body, relaxing each part to relax the whole. The main character’s stalling tactic at bedtime actually creates his readiness for it.
Guess How Much I Love You by Sam McBratney
How do you describe doing something in a BIG way?! “To the moon and back!” Perfectly capturing the BIG love of the parent-child relationship, the story is of “one-upping,” and I secretly appreciate how the parent wins, even if the child never knows . . . and, of course, the child ultimately wins because he or she experiences the BIG love of his or her caregiver.
I Am Yoga by Susan Verde – art by Peter Reynolds
I am COMPLETELY over the moon about this book! Peter Reynolds is another of my favorite author and illustrators! There is a “freeness,” a sense of contentment, in his illustrations and how they compliment the writing, enveloping the essence of each posture. The author includes detailed info about the postures in the back of the book. I appreciate the poetry as the author wraps her brain around the topic, I AM Yoga. It’s not just something I do or moving in pretzel-like ways, it IS ME. Yoga is how I make the world a better place like I’m uniquely designed to do!
Papa, Please Get the Moon for Me by Eric Carle
This fantasy introduces the waning and waxing of the moon! With lift flaps and a pop out page, little hands can explore how the dad takes a long, long ladder to reach the moon so he can retrieve for his daughter. Try half-moon posture as you talk the phases of the moon. Enjoy nibbling on vanilla wafers to create the crescent to the full moon (no nibbling required). This book is a treat by the author of The Very Hungry Caterpillar, From Head to Toe, the illustrator of Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? and so many, many more! Mr. Carle has been creating books since 1967. His body of work is amazing and prolific: http://www.eric-carle.com/
Waiting by Kevin Henkes (also debuting September 1, 2015)
Mr. Henkes is a talented and accomplished author/illustrator of many styles of writing and illustration. His newest creation appeals to my “sitting stillness” efforts. Toys placed in the windowsill, watch and observe the world! “The owl with spots is waiting on the moon.” And although each toy is happy for particular occurrences, there’s a sense of contentment in the waiting. There’s pleasure in not exactly knowing what will happen but the anticipation of waiting for what will. This story is great for introducing patience and for encouraging a nonjudgmental attitude, a simple way of observing the world in which we live.
