Some of you may know that as well as being a primary school teacher and book blogger, I have also co-founded children’s mental health venture Mind Superheroes with my good friend, Vafa Taleban. We are committed to helping children develop the tools they need for good lifelong mental health through the power of stories, positive language patterns, and coaching techniques.

We set up #SundayBookClub to share some our favourite children’s titles which address mental health issues, learning needs, or embrace diverse, inclusive themes (if you search for the hashtag on Twitter, you can find our previous recommendations.)

This week, we are recommending this beautiful picture book about the importance of mindfulness and just slowing down:

We all have busy lives and little Tisha and her family are no exception. With life always moving at such a pace, Tisha must ‘hurry up’ to get ready for school on time, ‘hurry up’ to finish her drawings before break time, and ‘hurry up’ to tidy up before she goes home. But hurrying up all the time can be exhausting. Thankfully, Tisha’s Mummy knows a special game to help them all slow down when everything becomes too much . . .

This would be the perfect story to read before taking children out for a sensory walk to really take notice of their surroundings and be in the moment – what can they see? Hear? Smell? Can they take their shoes off and walk barefoot on the grass? How does it feel? So important for grounding and connecting with our environment.

Another stunning title from the the creators of Lubna and Pebble one of TIME Magazine’s ’10 Best YA and Children’s Books of 2019.’

Jo and Vafa.

*Many thanks to Oxford University Press for sending me this title to review*