Review - Deep Breaths

Deep Breaths
by Carol Thompson
Date: 2019
Publisher: Rodale Kids
Reading level: C
Book type: picture book
Pages: 32
Format: e-book
Source: library

Take a deep breath, and learn to manage strong emotions through mindfulness with this pair of feuding best friends, Dolly and Jack!

Dolly the pig and Jack the rabbit are best friends, but even best friends don't always get along. When Dolly and Jack get into a big disagreement, they go from happy to mad, to sad...and then back to happy!

Both hilarious and instructive, Deep Breaths is a refreshing picture-book portrait of real friendship, and sets an example of how to manage strong emotions and resolve differences through simple mindfulness and meditation techniques.

(synopsis from Goodreads)

Deep Breaths is a cute story about two friends, Dolly the pig and Jack the rabbit, who have an argument one day. Through using meditative techniques, they are able to calm down and eventually make up.

I've read a few books about emotional regulation for kids, and they can come across as a bit preachy. This one, however, doesn't; the techniques that Dolly and Jack use to calm down after their argument are woven seamlessly into the story. The depiction of their friendship is really adorable, so you're hoping these two do resolve their differences and make up.

I'd definitely recommend this one, especially to young children who might need a gentle nudge when dealing with resolving conflicts.

Quotable moment:

Premise: 4/5
Meter: n/a
Writing: 3/5
Illustrations: 3/5
Originality: 4/5

Enjoyment: 4/5

Overall: 3.67 out of 5

Review - When Daddy's Truck Picks Me Up

When Daddy's Truck Picks Me Up
by Jana Novotny Hunter
illustrated by Carol Thompson
Date: 2004
Publisher: Albert Whitman & Company
Reading level: C
Book type: picture book
Pages: 32
Format: e-book
Source: library

Daddy drives a big red tanker truck, and he's away on the road a lot. But once in a while, he's near enough to pick up his little boy from preschool. And today is one of those very special days!

(synopsis from Goodreads)

Hmm... The premise of this book is cute, but the whole execution didn't really excite me.

Basically, this is a rhyming story about a little boy excitedly waiting for his truck-driver father to pick him up from school. It's easy to see the love the kid has for his dad, and his anticipation of his father picking him up in the big red tanker truck is palpable. Still, it's kind of a small premise to hang a whole book on, as we basically just witness the kid waiting all day.

The illustrations don't really excite me here. They're rough and scribbly, and while they're colourful, I just didn't feel all that drawn to them. As for the rhyming text, it's very clunky. The meter is off, and the words aren't that exciting.

This might find a better audience in kids whose parents travel a lot for work. I'm not sure if it will have that much appeal to anyone else.

Premise: 3/5
Meter: 2/5
Writing: 3/5
Illustrations: 2/5
Originality: 3/5

Enjoyment: 2/5

Overall: 2.43 out of 5