Thanks to Sounds True + NetGalley for the advance copy of "The In-Between Book" by Christopher Willard PsyD + Olivia Weisser, art by Alison Oliver.

This is absolute mindfulness perfection - calming, soothing illustrations in shades of blue and purple along side exercises in finding peace and calm in the moments 'in-between'.
As these feel like trying times that we have never experienced before, now is the time to turn to books like "The In-Between Book" that bring moments of calm, the ability to soothe yourself, and ways to connect to those and the world around us. This is a must-read for preschoolers through elementary and definitely has purpose for those older as well.

A great book about mindfulness and stopping to notice the things around us and in between...
like the pause between jumping and coming down to the ground, the spaces between the petals of a flower, or the silence between a question and an answer. This interactive book is about the Japanese concept of “ma”, which is the space between everything. The pictures and the words helps us to keep calm and focus our attention to all the things around us.


Thank you NetGalley and Sounds True for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

4/5 stars

Genre: Children's Fiction

Description:

An interactive book for children to discover mindfulness and feel more connected to the world around us.

In The In-Between Book, authors Christopher Willard and Olivia Weisser invite children to mindfully interact with the book and with the world around them. Kids will trace the shapes between images on the page, feel the stillness between heartbeats, and focus on the space between breathing in and breathing out. As they slow down to connect with the spaces between things, they will learn powerful lessons about mindfulness, curiosity, and experiencing the world around them more fully.

With its conversational style and playful prompts, The In-Between Book is a creative and thoughtful approach to teaching mindfulness to children, parents, and caregivers. It’s a great read one-on-one or perfect for a classroom or storytime.

Pros:

- I think this book could be very helpful to older children, ages 10 and up.
- A good way to introduce mindfulness for older kids.
- The illustrations are vibrant and interesting.

Cons:

- Very wordy.
- Amazon states the reading age is 4-8 years old but my 8-year-old had a hard time reading it, so I feel a younger child would struggle even more.
- Even when having the book read to her, it was a bit of a struggle for her to comprehend some of the subject matter and I had to pause to explain it a few times.

Would I recommend it?

For older kids yes, for the recommended age group, no.

A guided movement meditation for children that encourages them to focus on the space between things - the time between your breaths, the spaces between your fingers, etc. to practice being mindful.

A lovely concept and pleasant book, though the prose and pictures didn’t quite click for me like I hoped they would. I get that the book is talking directly to the reader, encouraging them to do different tasks, but I feel like it would have greater impact if it followed a character trying all the different things: “Benny traced the space between the petals, Benny noticed that quiet sounds filled the silence...”

This book was like a breath of fresh air. I didn't realize how tense I was before reading this book, but I loved the ending when I realized how much calmer I was after reading these thoughtful pages. The book is short and simple, but just right for elementary school students (and stressed teachers) who need a moment of peace in between all the chaos of a day.

I learned about this technique in art years ago! Draw the space around the things you were drawing/painting/creating!. It was a really great exercise in stretching your mind and seeing how everything connects to everything. The space is very important. Good book for kids and adults who read to them. Important concept to learn. Good book! Explains it very well in language anyone can understand and learn from. Must read in the classroom, particularly during art, music, sports....

The concept of mindfulness can be very difficult to explain to young child, maybe because it's complicated, maybe because they constantly live in the moment. In any case, this book encourages young children to stop and find the tiny pause between things (heartbeats, breaths, sounds, etc. While there's no "story" per se, this book would still make an excellent addition to a story time on feelings or mindfulness and a nice one-on-one introduction to meditation for young children. The pictures are lovely and I definitely recommend this book to readers looking for ways to help children calm themselves, self-soothe, and be more mindful of the world around them in a positive way.

Disclaimer: I received a free electronic copy of this book from the publisher through Netgalley.com in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

A quiet, contemplative, wonderful exploration of the spaces between the many things around us, including the spaces between breaths, heartbeats, claps, and more.

This was such a beautiful book, lots to learn about mindfulness with kids but also with adults, it was such a sweet story. I loved the concept of learning to think of everything around you, the seconds between heartbeats or the moment before your foot hits the floor. Curl up with your little one and learn a bit about mindfulness!

This book has readers pause and think about the in between in everything. It as a calming book to read, even as an adult. I think that many kids would be able to calm down and find their quiet by reading it.

The theme of this book is focus on the Japanese idea of "ma", the space between everything.
The authors have managed to represent this interesting concept (I had never heard of it) with simplicity and delicacy in this illustrated children's book. They used a lot of simple examples and exercises that children can do while reading the book.
I will definitely read it to the children of my school!

"Turn to the person reading this book with you and give them a hug. Can you feel a space between you? What are the feelings between you?"

3,5/4

Teaching children to appreciate space and quiet, I think this will especially be helpful for children who are easily overwhelmed to slow down and look for what happens in between.

A book that fit into the mindfulness vibe. Taking notice of the in-between time, being aware of those and just breath and let them in. I find it interesting and I will try it with my son tonight before bed!

In all honesty, I really don't get the point of this book. At all. It was cute, but I just didn't get the point.

A wonderful interactive book that gets you to start looking for the small mindful things and create a sense of ease and curiosity. It was a wonderful read that is perfect for creating a sense of mindfulness!

*Thanks Netgalley and Sounds True for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review*