Written & Illustrated by: Jo Loring-Fisher
For ages: 4-8 years
Language: English
Topics Covered: Poetry, Mindfulness, Childhood, Observation, Global Community, Social-Emotional Learning.
Summary:
This sweet poem celebrates mindfulness as the reader sees what children all over the world are taking a moment to do. The beginning of the book also helpfully has a map with the countries labeled that the reader will visit. In Egypt, a child takes a moment to appreciate the journey by camel. Cherry blossoms are gathered and dogs are snuggled. these seemingly mundane moments can be enjoyed and appreciated by practicing mindfulness! It’s such an important skill for all humans to learn, especially children. Mindfulness helps with emotional regulation and can alleviate some symptoms of anxiety. The world is a beautiful place, and taking the time to appreciate it is important.
The story is calming and would be perfect for bedtime. The poem also lends itself to further discussions about what the reader appreciated during the day, or something special that they noticed by taking the time to be still and observe. Jo Loring-Fisher is an incredibly talented artist, and I really enjoyed seeing such diverse representation throughout the book. She truly takes the reader on a global journey, which can also be great for extension discussions about geography and different cultures.
This book was published by Lantana Publishing, but Publisher’s Spotlight was generous enough to send it to us! All opinions are our own.
About the Author & Illustrator:
Jo Loring-Fisher is an “artist, illustrator and graduate of Cambridge School of Art’s MA in Children’s Book Illustration. She lives with her husband and two youngest daughters close to Stonehenge on Wiltshire’s beautiful Salisbury Plain in England.
Jo loves the countryside, and enjoy creating images using a range of materials including collage, ink, paint and printmaking. Much of her inspiration comes from observing nature and everyday life.
Jo loves the scope of subjects that children’s books cover, from light-hearted, to tackling the challenges we all face. She will sometimes favour difficult subject matter softened by the use of her chosen materials. Jo enjoys illustrating the texts of others, as well as her own material.”