Have you ever read a book and think, “Wow. That was so not for me, but that was really interesting?” It might seem like an odd thing to say but Sit With Me: Meditation of Kids in Seven Easy Steps by Carolyn Kaniuro and Nan Lawson was that book for me.
This picture book is one that deals with the practice of mindfulness for kids. I am not a fan of the word mindfulness or the word, medication. I prefer to use the words breathing/breathe and quiet. Yet, I still came away from this book thinking it is a nice book to introduce really all ages, to the concept.
The illustrations are nice. They are comfortable to the eye and easy to read. They are there to show you and help you do the acts described. Still, while I am not sure what, personally I felt a few things were missing from them. They show you how to sit, how to place your legs and arms. They are not overly colorful, but not dull in anyway. Nor are they overly detailed, but again, nothing is that is needed is missing. Yet, I was not in love with them. Maybe they were too simple, or maybe I needed to be sitting quietly (I was sitting on a hard wooden chair at the table and not comfortable when reading).
I think this book works best if you have a child that is interested in the subject (because you, another parent, your partner, a friend of theirs, a friend of the family, their friend’s family, or other family member practices) and you can read it first. It is probably not for the child not interested in the subject. However, if you present it as, “We need quiet time and lest pretend we are one of the animals in the book” that could be a way to introduce without hitting on the “deeper sounding” aspects of it.
