Review by School Library Journal Review
PreS-Gr 3--Every morning, Yoga Bunny pops out of his burrow and greets the day by practicing yoga. This morning, he starts the day out all by himself. As he completes the leaf pose, he notices a worried-looking bear hiding behind a tree. The bear tells Yoga Bunny that his birthday is coming up , and that make him nervous because everyone will be looking at him. Yoga poses bring calm. The friends hope to meet up the next morning to get Bear ready for his birthday party. Bear does show up, and Yoga Bunny and a few other friends take some quiet time for meditation. When they breathe out, Bear realizes he has actually blown out the candles on his surprise birthday cake. He is ready for his birthday party! The art is made with colored pencils and watercolor, which provides a soft, warm palette for this story of friends and their calming yoga. The endpapers offer a number of poses that children can emulate in a classroom or home setting; they'll love the motion, as well as the quiet and mindfulness yoga provides. VERDICT This book is an ideal way to introduce yoga and the ethos behind this ancient practice. Pair this with Taeeun Yoo's You Are a Lion! And Other Fun Yoga Poses or Russo's previous book, Yoga Bunny.--Joan Kindig, James Madison Univ., Harrisonburg, VA
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Review by Kirkus Book Review
In this sequel to Yoga Bunny (2016), Bunny uses yoga to encourage Bear to overcome her anxiety. Starting his day with yoga breathing and poses, Bunny spies Bear hiding behind a tree. After Bear confesses that she's nervous about the upcoming birthday party her family will throw for her, Bunny thinks yoga might help her feel less nervous. As Bunny guides Bear through the Cat and Cow poses, Bear suggests they add cat and cow noises while they move from pose to pose. Relaxing under a tree, Bunny suggests Bear let her nervous feelings "come and go as if they were clouds in the sky" and invites Bear to join him for yoga practice with his friends the next day. When Bear fails to show up the following morning, Bunny wonders if he has done something to upset her but then remembers to let his negative feelings go and proceeds with his yoga practice. Eventually, Bunny opens his eyes to a big surprise. Despite the somewhat light plot, Bunny's tips to ease Bear's stress effectively reinforce the benefits of yoga practice. Judicious use of white space generates a calm aura in the cartoon-style illustrations. The fluid and accurately rendered drawings of Bunny adroitly demonstrating various classic yoga poses (especially on the end pages) are endearing. An amusing, albeit limited, introduction to yoga practice. (Picture book. 4-8) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
