Forest Joy: Mindfulness in Nature
Jill Neimark, Author
Emily Fernihough, Illustrator
Blue Jasper Editions, Fiction, Oct. 24, 2023
Suitable for ages: 4-8
Themes: Nature, Mindfulness, Stress Management, Happiness, Health and wellbeing
Opening: “I am Joya! I live in the big city on the very top floor. From my balcony I can see the world.”
Book Jacket Synopsis:
I Breathe Forest. Forest Breathes Back.
When Joya and her city friends take a field trip to go forest bathing, she discovers there’s no water or soap needed. She breathes in forest and forest breathe back. She uses all her senses to merge with nature.
“Close your eyes, for the forest is calling,” Vivid watercolor illustrations are accompanied by gentle lyric meditations. Each child will naturally flow with the book’s joyous journey to peace and expanded awareness.
For adults and children interested in mindfulness, nature, camping, gardening, ecology, rewilding, forest bathing and self-healing. A perfect time-out for today’s stressed kids.
Don’t forget to check out Nature Explorers, a new original S.T.A.M. ature activity book for kids. Over 100 original, hands-on outdoor activities that teach essential life skills and leaning through fun, super cool projects.
My thoughts about Forest Joy:
A beautiful book that nudges children to slow down, appreciate and explore the wonders of the natural world around them. Spending time in nature can be a magical experience, a source of healing and a way to relieve stress — an important message for Joya and her friends as the journey through a forest with their guide, Mei. They will learn to feel the forest, listen to its song, smell its fragrance and lie in its meadow. They will learn about “forest bathing.”,
Jill Neimark’s text is beautiful and lyrical : “We step into the green hush and we all stand still. Close your eyes. / For the forest is calling. Breathe in green, soft warm green / Feel the forest,. Cool sweet fresh, And breath out aaaah.” Emily Fernihough’s soft watercolors are lush, inviting and joyful. They compliment the story.
For adults, Forest Joy will awaken fond memories about summer days spent exploring the nature in their own backyards or in a forest. A great time to share memories and plan a trip to a nearby forest.
Resources: Neimark has created a companion Nature Explorers Outdoor Activity Book for Kids. There are six parts to the book that are devoted to Trees, Leaves, Forest Arts, Tracks and Traces, Weather and Mindfulness. The activity book will cover a year and teach important life skills, along with 100 S.T.E.A.M. activities.
Jill Neimark is an author of fiction and nonfiction and and award winning science journalist. Her bestselling picture book, The Hugging Trees, has over sixty YouTube read-alouds from parents, teachers and faith leaders worldwide. She is coauthor with bioethicist Stephen Post, PhD, of Why Good Things Happen to Good People, which was awarded the Kama Prize in Medical Humanities. She lives in Georgia and has written for numerous magazines including The Atlantic, Smithsonian, Scientific American and NPR. Visit jillneimark.com or follow her on Facebook and Twitter @jillneimark.
Every Friday, authors and KidLit bloggers post a favorite picture book. To see a complete listing of all the Perfect Picture Books (PPB) with resources, please visit author Susanna Leonard Hill’s website.
*Review copy provided by the author in exchange for a review.