Everybody has strong emotions sometimes and that's okay. Use your imagination and practice taking deep, calming breaths. Pretend to be an animal, plant, or thing...Will you breathe like a peaceful goldfish, a growing flower, or a gentle dragon?

Eagle-eyed preschoolers recognize the children as they transform in the illustrations. Expressive faces on the endpapers are a bonus opportunity to talk about feelings.

Hat tip to Jbrary Lindsey for this suggestion.
-name pronunciation: Shosana Chaim (“chime” or “chame”)
-songs & rhymes:
-book talks:
-literacy asides:

Many thanks to Shoshana Chaim and Greystone Kids for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review. My thoughts and opinions are 100% my own and independent of receiving an advance copy.

When done properly, picture books are truly an amazing thing. You have the words that usually impart some kind of wisdom, or lesson while the pictures can stir up your creative juices. They can be a jumping off point for further discussion or create that safe distance that is sometimes required when bringing up difficult subjects. The words are like a song, carefully chosen to create a rhythm and flow that encourages you to read it over and over like a favourite song. There is always something new to find in the pictures that lights up your imagination. They become cherished friends.

When I taught middle school, I used picture books all the time. They were used in all kinds of ways. Now, if anyone knows middle school kids, they can be difficult, but not once did they ever give me a side eye or resist jumping into the lesson. It would put them in a childlike state where they were open and the ideas would bubble out of them.

‘I Am A Peaceful Goldfish” is such a book. Although Chaim created it for a specific purpose, it is pure entertainment. You don’t feel as though the “lesson” is being dictated. There is no finger wagging or preaching. You are being invited in to an experience. I can imagine, after a long hard day full of challenges, reading this to my child and taking those deep breaths with the bonus effect of feeling more relaxed and in touch with my body than when I started.

The illustrations are beautiful. Bright and colourful, detailed without being overwhelming, they can take you through the story so a child can read it without necessarily being able to read the words. Chaim made it a priority to make it as diverse as possible so that every child can see something of themselves in the characters and not from some fake “woke’ attitude. This was done six years ago before BLM became part of our consciousness.

So what is the lesson? Teaching children that when they get into uncomfortable or stressful situations to take those deep breaths. The kind that connects you to your body in a deep meaningful way. Usually, when anyone gets into a tight spot our breath becomes shallow and reactive. Anyone that know a little about mindfulness knows that if you can create that space, it can help ground you, give you the perspective you need. This is a life skill. Something that they can do quietly, without drawing any attention to themselves. A tool that they can take with them throughout their lives. And that’s it. It doesn’t need to be more than that. You don’t need to convert your whole life and dedicate yourself to meditation but a simple skill that can help them when they need it. A good habit.

But I don’t want you to think that is all there is to this charming book. It is so much more than that. You can be the dragon, or the elephant. You can fly through the wind like the dandelion seeds and dream about what your wishes might be. The book is fun! It can be physical while you stretch up to the sky or move like a wind chime. I can see it not only on parents’ bookshelves but libraries and schools. It will likely become a classic. Chaim is already hard at work on her next book and I can’t wait to see what she comes up with next! ( )