No Ordinary Apple: A Story About Eating Mindfully

When Elliot gets to his neighbor Carmen’s house after school, he’d love a snack, and candy sounds just dandy. Instead, Carmen offers him an apple, and shows him that the fruit is extraordinary—if only he can notice its taste, look, smell, feel, and crunch when bitten. This elementary lesson in Buddhist mindfulness is written in language children can readily understand, and Pascuzzo’s brightly colored drawings explore Elliot’s thoughts as he responds to Carmen, as well as the scene in her kitchen. While the book uses a simple vocabulary, it is somewhat discursive, which might puzzle or lose the youngest readers (“Eat the apple like you have never tasted one before. Only then will you discover what makes it so special”). Parents will appreciate the call to slow down and pay attention, advice that’s good for a lifetime. (Avoiding candy is a bonus lesson.) For children, the book will open new perspectives on the fruit of knowledge. Ages 4–8. (June)