cover image ABC for Me: ABC Mindful Me

ABC for Me: ABC Mindful Me

Christiane Engel. Walter Foster Jr, $16.95 (36p) ISBN 978-1-63322-510-7

This board book addition to the ABC for Me series, featuring lively and kinetic art spreads, offers an alphabetic presentation of words relating to mindfulness. Light, rhyming verses accompany each word. Engel includes terms that expressly reference mindfulness practices, like “Meditation” and “Namaste,” along with more general ones relating to positive emotions and experiences, such as “Kindness,” “Love,” and “Outdoors.” Engel’s collagelike art features rich colors and uplifting scenes of children engaging with nature, creating art, and being joyfully present. The ending contains a description of what it means to be mindful (“paying attention to the present moment”), as well as four ideas for mindfulness-focused projects, including creating “Emotion Rocks” with painted faces (“Whenever it’s hard to talk about your feelings, try using an Emotion Rock to say it instead!”), and decorating a “Thankfulness Tree,” with ornaments that name things readers are grateful for. A sweet and multifaceted introduction to a nuanced concept. Ages 3–6. (Apr.)