Children's Book Review: Good Night, Body: Finding Calm From Head to Toe by Britney Winn Lee, Illustrated by Borghild Fallber
* I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher, Thomas Nelson. All thoughts are my own and I was not required to write a positive review. This blog post includes affiliate links. View my affiliate disclosure here.
Good Night, Body
Finding Calm From Head to Toe
By Britney Winn Lee, Illustrated by Borghild Fallberg, Published by Thomas Neslon
ABOUT THIS BOOK:
Ages: 4-8
Bedtime can be full of big emotions for kids! Calm anxious, busy thoughts with this body scan meditation designed to help kids relax and prepare for sleep. This mindfulness practice will help children let go of the worries, stress, and excitement of the day as they reach their arms like a telescope, let their mouths hang like a hammock, dance their fingers like wind chimes, and listen to their hearts beat a reassuring cadence, "you're loved, you're loved."
From Britney Winn Lee, author of popular books The Boy with Big, Big Feelings and The Girl with Big, Big Questions, comes another powerful book for helping children navigate stress, form positive self-perceptions, and strengthen their hearts and minds. Good Night, Body echoes the comforting chants of Goodnight Moon as it leads children in greeting, moving, and relaxing each body part. With lyrical text and body-positive illustrations, this mindfulness picture book guides kids in connecting with who they are inside and out.
Good Night, Body: Finding Calm from Head to Toe is perfect for
children 4 to 8 and their parents and caregivers
families who enjoy yoga and mindfulness exercises
children who need a relaxing bedtime ritual to smooth the transition from play to sleep
children who experience anxiety, insomnia, bedtime fears, and intense emotions
My Thoughts:
My sweet girl is a highly energetic, motor-driven child who moves all day long and thinks every bit as fast as she moves. Finding a great calming routine for her at bedtime has been years in the making and still changes often. Lately, it means a good dose of heavy, vestibular work followed by reading books and Bible stories under a weighted blanket and even listening to audio stories in the dark before sleep. I chose this little book as a way for her to be mindful of her body and all it has done throughout the day, to center her focus, and train her mind to help her body rest versus simply crashing from exhaustion. I love how sweet and gentle this book is, with adorable illustrations of diverse children and subtle, but colorful images. It addresses saying good night to various body parts (fingers, toes, arms and legs) as it likens them things a child can relate to making this book easy to enjoy for little ones. It’s short and sweet and easily something we can do together each evening before bed. We love it!
Christian Parent Note: This book does not contain any faith-based elements. It references “the air the earth has gifted you” and “offer breath back to trees and seeds as a thank-you for their kindness”. While I understand the science behind photosynthesis, I wish this book pointed little hearts back to God as the creator of our bodies and world, and reminded them that He loves them. It saddens me that this book is 100% secular. I expected differently based on the publisher and author.
