Take a Breath

Bob, a bird who resembles a scarlet-hued soup dumpling, "can't quite fly yet," writes Rim (Happy Springtime!). When his fellow birds wing into a sky of bright blue watercolor blooms, Bob tries to stay cool ("Alrighty then. See you guys later") and keep busy: readers tag along as the minimally detailed drawings show Bob gardening, playing a little chess, and trying to get airborne, to no avail. "He starts to worry/ and begins to doubt.// Bob, in fact, / is really freaking out," the narrator confides, until friendly Crow (handsomely rendered in smudgy black with glints of deep blue) offers Bob some been-there sympathy and a life-changing pro tip: "Take a breath." Bob almost hyperventilates on his first attempt, but then, in a keenly instructive spread, Crow walks Bob step by step ("Okay, let's first reset and shake out our feathers") through a classic deep breathing exercise. Mindful and exhilarated, Bob sprouts a tie-dyed aura and soon takes to the sky. "Sometimes you just/ have to be grounded/ before you can fly," concludes this wise and chatty tale--a lesson that may help breathe new life into stressed adults and kids alike. Ages 4-8. Agent: Holly McGhee, Pippin Properties. (Mar.)

K-Gr 3--Bob, a vibrant red, teardrop-shaped bird has not yet figured out how to fly. While all of his fellow birds can fly, Bob is left to entertain himself (and readers, in one hilarious aside after another) on the ground. When Bob begins to overthink his problem, helpful Crow stops to encourage Bob and talk him through a classic, deep breathing mindfulness activity. Told through humorous text and simple illustrations, Rim creates an accessible mode to introduce readers to the power of mindful breathing, in bird terms--"Reach our wings up to the sky / Stretching our feather tips away from our tail / Breathe in and out deeply through our beaks"--in a way that doesn't feel overly clinical. Readers will immediately connect with Bob, especially through his self-deprecating humor in the beginning pages that will in turn make them more receptive to engaging in the activity. VERDICT A unique, recommended SEL tool that combines humor and mindfulness.--Katherine Forsman