Synopsis from Simon & Schuster:
An anxious baby bird who fears he’ll never learn to fly gets a lesson in mindfulness in this funny and sweetly encouraging picture book about believing in yourself.
Every morning, the birds are flapping with excitement for their first flight of the day…except for Bob. Bob doesn’t get the whole flying thing; when the other baby birds go up, up, up, he goes down, down, down. Bob can’t help worrying…what if he never learns how to fly?
His friend Crow tells him, “All you need to do is breathe, Bob.” Of course, Bob breathes all the time, but there’s breathing and then there’s B-R-E-A-T-H-I-N-G. And it might just be the thing to calm Bob’s ruffled feathers.
About: Take a Breath is a children’s fiction written and illustrated by Sujean Rim. It was published on 4/5/2022 by Atheneum/Caitlyn Dlouhy Books, an imprint of Simon & Schuster, hardcover, 40 pages. The genres are children’s fiction, picture book, and social situations. This book is intended for readers ages 4 to 8, grades P to 3. According to the publisher’s website, “Founded in 1961 by Jean Karl, Atheneum Books for Young Readers is known for publishing enduring literary middle grade, teen, picture book, and graphic novel titles. The imprint has garnered more than forty Newbery and Caldecott Medals and Honors throughout its celebrated history.” Please see below for more information about the author, illustrator, and publisher.
My Experience: I started reading Take a Breath for my toddler’s story time on 4/19/2022 and we finished it in one sitting. I read it again that same night because my second kid wanted to hear the story. A fun book to read! Bob the bird who couldn’t fly sure was smart. He thought of so many ways to jumpstart his flight. I loved all of the different ways. The illustrations were fantastic. I smiled at every attempts because the illustrations made it funny. I’m thinking the slingshot one is the funniest to me. Bob’s skinny legs were so cute especially when he practiced his flights but failed. Bob still managed to look cute when he cried. I liked how Crow sympathized with Bob. The crow’s perched and fell memory was a funny one.
This book followed Bob, a bird who couldn’t fly like the other birds. Every morning, he watched as the other birds excited to start their day, flew out to play. He found ways to keep himself busy on the ground. He joked with a flower, talked to an earthworm, and played chess with a turtle. His main activity on the ground, however, was to practice to fly. He tried many ways to fly: jumped off a branch, jumped out of a swing in mid air, tied himself to a balloon, slingshot himself, etc. He fell every time. He then started to freaked out if he will never fly. As Bob cried, a crow flew by and noticed. The Crow sympathized with Bob and taught Bob how to relax himself before each flight. It took some time to master the process of taking a breath to relax himself but soon Bob got it and felt better.
Take a Breath was well written and illustrated. Help came from an unexpected source. I’m surprised that it’s a crow instead of one of the other birds of the same kind as Bob. But maybe different birds could share different ideas and birds from different species can still help. I liked when Bob took a deep breath and let it out so quick that he was pushed backwards like a deflated balloon. Definitely awesome illustrations! The process of taking a breath was good. I demonstrated taking a breath as I read and my toddler followed me and giggled at the same time. A fun book and I can see that I’ll be reading it again and again on the days to come. I highly recommend everyone to read this book!
I rate it 5 stars!
Buy it here for free shipping: Book Depository or Simon & Schuster’s website
About the Author and Illustrator:
Sujean Rim is the author and illustrator of the Birdie’s Big-Girl Shoes, Birdie’s Big-Girl Dress, Birdie’s Big-Girl Hair, Zoogie Boogie Fever!, Chee-Kee: A Panda in Bearland, and more. She has worked as an illustrator for clients including Tiffany & Co., Target, and the website DailyCandy. Sujean lives in New York with her favorite artist and husband Bob, and their son, Charlie. Find her online at SujeanRim.com. (Photo and info obtained from Simon & Schuster’s website, book pictures obtained from Edelweiss).
More Information About Simon Kids
Website: http://simonandschusterpublishing.com/little-simon/ | Instagram: www.instagram.com/simonkids | Twitter: www.twitter.com/simonkids
***Many thanks to Simon & Schuster for the opportunity to read and review. Please be assured that my opinions are honest.
xoxo,
Jasmine
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