From School Library Journal
PreSchool-Grade 3–The young pigs in this story balance a stressful, hectic life with regular meditation. Using straightforward–though somewhat saccharine–language and images, MacLean, a certified children's meditation instructor, describes this practice and explores its benefits, which include increased self-confidence and feelings of peace and well-being. The vibrant illustrations featuring the blissed-out pigs are childlike in their simplicity. At the end of the book, the author offers instructions on how to meditate and describes her experiences with using family meditation in her own life and in her practice. There are few titles for young children that explain and teach meditation techniques. As such, this offering will find a place in many libraries.
–Marge Loch-Wouters, Menasha's Public Library, WI Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
From Booklist
PreS-Gr. 2. Maclean, a meditation therapist, presents her case for deep relaxation in terms pitched straight at kids: "Sometimes the world can be such a busy, noisy place"; that's why "it's good to meditate." There's nary a lotus-blossom or a Bodhisattva to be found in the bright paintings of disarming piggies who tease their siblings, get mad, play video games ("You feel like you can't slow down. Even when you're sitting down!"), but also "know when to take a break, find a quiet spot and just breathe, breathe, breathe." For all that, Maclean advocates an essentially abstract spiritual practice: the instruction is as nondogmatic as it is concrete. She suggests that kids "have Mom or Dad help them set up a special place" for meditating, and concludes with an activity that invites kids to visualize the quieting of their minds as the settling of particles in a muddied jar of water. Even families that normally regard meditation as so much New Age folderol may find this chipper offering both endearing and persuasive.
Jennifer MattsonCopyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved
See all Editorial Reviews