Inside: Book review of Yoga Bunny and 5 wonderful book-related activities
How did I managed to miss Yoga Bunny when it first came out?
I noticed it yesterday when I was subbing in a friend’s library and it jumped right out at me. All I could think was “Darn, I wish I’d used this book with my last Grade 1 class!”
Yoga Bunny
by Brian Russo
Harper Collins, 2016
ages 4-8
mindfulness, yoga
Brief Summary:
Bunny is doing some yoga poses in his woodland home. He tries to get his friends Lizard, Bird and Fox to join in, but alas, no one is in the mood. Lizard is too tired, Fox is in a rush and Bird has the hiccups! Eventually, however, they all come around and enjoy doing the last few poses with Bunny.
Opening Lines:
One morning, Bunny crawled out of his hole, rubbed his eyes, and let out a big YAWN! “This is a perfect morning to do yoga!” he said.
Why I Love This Book
I’m a big fan of yoga and while I don’t go to classes I’ve been practicing it since I was 16 years old! But more importantly, I’ve noticed over the last few years that my students really enjoy short yoga breaks throughout the day and it ALWAYS brings some calm back into the classroom.
I love the sweet and simple illustrations. Russo used watercolour, coloured pencils and photoshop to create these charming pictures. They work perfectly with the lovely story line.
The last page also includes a whole bunch of additional yoga poses.
Book Related Activities:
- Do the poses! They could be done during the reading of the book or after!
- The author has a free set of yoga bunny cards on Teachers Pay Teachers. These would be perfect to use at home or at school when calming breaks are needed.
- The publisher has a coloured sheet of instructions for five different poses, plus a sweet worksheet for kids to draw a picture of whatever helps them to relax. After you click on the link you need to click on “more” and “teaching tools” to find the sheets.
- If your kids are inspired to draw bunnies after reading this book there are lots of great tutorials out there. Here’s one of them.
- Here’s a book trailer that your kids might enjoy.
I’m also linking up with Susanna Hill for Perfect Picture Book Friday where you can find more great books for kids.
I missed this one too! First one I've seen with animals. This would pair nicely with \”I Am Yoga.\” Love that publishers are printing such a large variety of books for kids on yoga, mindfulness, relaxation — great tools for a lifetime.
I just finished watching the trailer for this precious book. It's positively lovely! I hope my library owns a copy or can bring one in. Thank you for this stellar review.
What a great combo — bunnies and yoga! The illustrations are adorable. And I love the idea of yoga breaks during the school day. I'll check this one out — thanks!
I Am Yoga is a great pairing! I agree that it's nice to see so many mindfulness/yoga books out there for kid. It makes it easier to incorporate into the classroom.
You're welcome, Leslie. Yes, the trailer is really sweet, isn't it? Good luck with your search — I don't think it will be too hard to find!
You're welcome, Gabi!It will be hard to do my own yoga practice now without thinking of bunnies:)
Love how Yoga Bunny wakes up in the morning. Great trailer! And I'm not surprised that yoga helps calm kids throughout the day. Those little bodies need to move and stretch, and their minds need to refocus. A perfect combo! I think lots of teachers could benefit from using this book in their classrooms.
I agree! The first time I did yoga with my class it felt very weird, but I was happily surprised at how quickly they took to it and how they often requested it.
Oh goodness, I've seen Yoga Frog but NOT Yoga Bunny, until now. It looks like a lovely way to engage students in practicing mindfulness through yoga poses and stretches! Awesome pick for that some-bunny special.
Oh! Well I haven't seen Yoga Frog, haha! I'll definitely be looking for it now. Thanks for stopping by, Barbara.
New one for me, too. But it looks like a great book. I like the cards and coloring sheets. Thanks for highlighting this book.
Love it.
This looks like fun! I love the yoga books that are coming out now: frogs, bunnies…. what's next? Giraffes?