Balloon Breath by Amanda Given
Much has been written about the difficulty of young children to understand and control their emotions, with strategies from learned scholars and therapists on how to cope. Yet sometimes, it’s the simplest of stories to which children can best connect, putting them in a position to learn and grow.
That’s why Balloon Breath by Amanda Given, who thinks of herself as a child at heart, does such an impressive job of helping children open up and deal with their feelings. The book, geared primarily to pre-schoolers in the 2-to-5 age range, is a simple tale in which Lonnie is frustrated with the behavior of his brother Curly, who has taken his blanket, and dominated the channels on the TV set to his own liking and without consideration of his brother. Lonnie feels like he is going to explode with anger.
Fortunately, his favorite babysitter Scarlett comes over and tries to instill happiness into the atmosphere with fun activities, by eating, pretending to be lions, going to the upbeat sunroom — anything to create a cheerful mood. Finally, Scarlett explains what she does when she gets mad: “Sit criss cross applesauce. Take a DEEP breath in. That’s it. Now exhale all the air out.”
The babysitter extends her ritual to what she calls Balloon Breath, allowing Lonnie to take deep breaths into a balloon and blow the mad thoughts right into it. “Let the air out of your balloon and say goodbye to all those yucky, icky thoughts,” Scarlett says. The exercise leaves Lonnie with nothing but happy thoughts. Scarlett has effectively saved the day.
A NEW FAVORITE OF YOUNG READERS
“I wrote my book to help children and their caregivers manage their big emotions,” says the author, whose charming story is complemented with colorful and playful illustrations by Polina Hrytskova. The book also includes a fun and easy activity for parents, adult guardians, teachers and children to reinforce the message.
Reviewers say their children loved the book, found it easy to understand and couldn’t get enough of it. For a delightful book with a simple yet valuable message, pick up a copy of Balloon Breath for your children. As Given says, “Kindness is always inside of us. I hope Lonnie finds a happy, cozy and safe place in your heart. He’s always there to remind you to inhale and exhale.”
About Amanda Given:
Amanda Given is an author, speech language pathologist, yogi, mother, and mental health advocate. After Amanda’s own 10-year personal journey with depression she found purpose in writing and teaching yoga/meditation to children. Amanda is a child at heart with a grownup soul. She has playful energy that is shared when she teaches children fun and creative yoga poses. Amanda also leads adult groups in relaxing guided meditation. When Amanda is away from her yoga mat you can find her dancing, sailing, or running along the beach in her hometown of Marblehead, MA. She is available for school visits, library programs or other venues to share the lessons in her latest book. Visit www.amandagiven.com.
