Good Night, Body

November 15, 2022
Little bodies settle down for the night. "Hello, body. Hello, dear friend. We've been with each other all day, but sometimes I forget to notice you!" Lee, author of The Boy With the Big, Big Feelings (2019) and The Girl With the Big, Big Questions (2021), presents an engaging, conversational offering about a bedtime routine rooted in mindfulness that every family can use. Little ones are invited to say goodbye to their last wiggles of the day by pretending to curl up like a hedgehog and then opening up like a starfish. Then it's time to climb into bed and take a few deep breaths. First readers say goodnight to their heads, wishing for it to be as light as a breeze. Next they ask their minds to be "playful like a puppy. Catch comforting thoughts, sailing by like bubbles, and gently blow the others away." Face, eyes, mouth, shoulders, arms...all the way down to the toes, children greet each body part and wish it goodnight before drifting off for a restful sleep. Fallberg's softly flowing illustrations depict wide-eyed, happy youngsters who have a variety of skin tones (including one brown-skinned little one who appears to have vitiligo) following the instructions of the text, sometimes from bed, sometimes in their imaginations. One child uses a wheelchair. (This book was reviewed digitally.) Offers both a soothing nighttime routine and an age-appropriate introduction to mindfulness. (Picture book. 2-6)

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December 5, 2022
Winn Lee introduces meditative body scanning with the help of creative visualizations involving puppies, blankets, balloons, and more in this quieting picture book. Addressing the body as “dear friend,” first-person narration names more than a dozen body parts in turn for the reader to survey—head, face, eyes, mouth, shoulders, and so on—until it’s time to say good night. Captured in mellow hues, smooth digital illustrations present children with varied abilities and skin tones modeling each relaxation technique. In one spread, three children, including one portrayed with vitiligo, doze in hammocks at dusk (“Hello, mouth. May you hang loosely like a hammock”). In another, kids rub their bellies, surrounded by stuffies (“Hello, belly. May you be comfy like a stuffed animal”). The heart provides a chance to repeat “You’re loved,” and lungs are acknowledged with deep breathing. By the time toes have done their final effective wiggle, readers ought to be ready for peaceful dreams. Ages 4–8.