Your Mind is Like the Sky

Description

Your mind is like the sky. Sometimes its clear and blue - but sometimes a raincloud thought comes along and makes everything seem dark. So what can we do about rainclouds? This beautiful picture book, written by child psychologist Bronwen Ballard and illustrated by award-winning artist Laura Carlin, shows children that worries and negative thoughts are normal and helps them develop healthy thinking habits. Tips on mindfulness and extra resources for parents are included at the back of the book.

Laura Carlin graduated from The Royal College of Art in 2004 and has lived and worked in London ever since. He picture books include The Iron Man, The Promise and King of the Skies, published by Walker Books, and A World Of Your Own, published by Phaidon Press. She is the illustrator of Your Mind is Like the Sky for Frances Lincoln Childrens Books.Bronwen Ballard has a background in psychology and management consultancy. She worked in advertising before retraining in psychology at London Metropolitan University in her late twenties. She has an MA in Philosophy and Modern Languages, and a Post Graduate Diploma in Psychology, and is a graduate member of the British Psychological Society and the Association for Coaching. For the past ten years, she has worked as a personal coach and organisational consultant in London, where she lives with her two daughters. Your Mind is Like the Sky is her first children's book.

Our most cherished picture books tend to be those that contain an underlying wisdom. Giraffes Can't Dance (Giles Andreae) affirms that it is all right to be different; Eric Carle's The Very Hungry Caterpillar has inspired Marxist, feminist and queer interpretations - but is described by its author as "a book of hope", showing how even the most insignificant-seeming creature can unfold its talent. But our busy modern children do not need whimsical stories to help them make sense of the world. Instead, they can take direct advice from a growing library of self-help books, designed (to quote the author of one, Create Your Own Happy) to help them take "positive steps towards their own happiness and positive self-esteem!" Some parents might find the idea of children's self-help off-putting. But Your Mind is Like the Sky, by Bronwen Ballard (a "personal coach and organisational consultant"), is an exemplar of the genre. It is aimed at readers of seven, but would be suitable for younger ones too. "Your mind is like the sky," it begins. "Sometimes it's clear and blue", with "white, fluffy cloud thoughts", but sometimes it is full of "darker, meaner, raincloud thoughts". This is the problem that the book addresses. Most children's self-help books take anxiety as their theme. Unusually, however, there are no games or activities suggested here, and no "calm down tactics". The message is relayed solely through the pictures and text, which show a little girl wrestling with her dark thoughts - and finally beating them. "When a raincloud thought comes into your head, you say, 'Oh, it's a raincloud thought'. And then you notice all the white fluffy cloud thoughts as well." With lyrical illustrations by Laura Carlin, this is an engaging and refreshingly jargon-free book, which would be ideal for any worried child. -- Emily Bearn * The Daily Telegraph * One to watch out for. Subtitled A First Book of Mindfulness, this picture book, with its busy, stylish drawings, suggests how to respond to sad thoughts, so you do not get lost in them. -- Nicolette Jones * The Sunday Times * 'The perfect introduction to mindfulness in young people.' * Angels and Urchins * Featured in Children's Books Recommendations for April 2019?-? 'a beautiful introduction to mindfulness for young children...?it's a perfect way to teach children that worries are normal?' * Mini Travellers * 'A beautiful, gentle picture-book and guide to mindfulness encouraging children to accept anxious or angry thoughts as rain clouds that will gradually pass away, leaving clear skies behind.' * Metro * 30 Best Children's Books for 2019: 'a sophisticated attempt to get young children to engage with their emotions, presented simply.' * inews *