It is true that living in the city is not for everyone. With the noise, the traffic and other things that scares you, or disturbing you. The author invite you to find a way to cope with that. The journey to mindfulness is not easy, but doable and will make you feel better. Here, you will be introduced to ways to enjoy the life in the city.

This book covers an important topic in our world and not enough books exist for it. The illustrations were very engaging and the message was supportive for families and adults helping children deal the hustle and bustle while going inward at any moment.

This book is beautifully illustrated, beginning readers to pick it off the shelf. I enjoy the theme throughout the book and the chance to walk through emotions that are normal and expected in life. This is an excellent addition to any classroom.

I appreciated that the book was about mindfulness and finding peace within chaos but I found it a pretty negative view of city life. It seemed like the author wanted to set up a contrast of loud / busy spaces with quiet, calm spaces but that made it feel like city life is inherently bad / overwhelming. Other than this aspect I liked the idea of finding spaces that your body needs.

In a Nutshell: Love the intent and the parting note about ‘mindfulness in the city.’ The content left me with mixed feelings.

Cities can be overwhelming. Storybooks often highlight the joy and peace of country living, and cities are shown as busy and bustling places with lots of noise and crowds. The portrayal is valid, no doubt. But does this mean that city dwellers can seek no respite from the noise? Where can children who feel anxious about city hyperactivity find their safe bubble? The book offers some potential spots of respite, where children can take a breather.

At the end of the book is a two-page note about how we can practise mindfulness in the city. This has some helpful and practical tips on finding inner calm. My favourite section of this book, by far.

I loved the idea behind the book. Calming spaces are very important, and especially for sensitive children who live in cities, it will be reassuring to know that they too have several options of relaxing their senses within the city. Some of the options offers are quite sensible: parks, coffee shops, libraries,.. However, I couldn’t understand how a bus or a train might lead to peace of mind. A bus can be overcrowded or stuck in traffic. And as far as the train is concerned, the idea of standing beside the platform and watching the trains come and go to escape the crowd negates the line on an earlier page that indicates the overwhelming of the senses caused by “the thundering trains go(ing) clitter clatter.”

Rather than focussing only on external public spots, the book could have highlighted the importance of finding your own peace through music or through creative hobbies such as colouring or craft. Some of these self-calming options are explored in the final note but not in the main content.

The content is written in simple rhythmic prose in the ABCB scheme. When a picture book uses rhymes, I like the lines to adhere to a consistent metre so that reading the verses aloud in cadence is easy. That doesn’t happen in this book. The verses are quite free flow, and the metre varies from sentence to sentence. So the rhymes herein did not work for me.

The illustrations were good in terms of their detailing, though somewhat muted in their colour tone. The humans are diverse, with the main character seemingly of South Asian origin. However, at times, the illustrations did not match the content on that page. Also, some of the illustrations showed us a view, as seen through windows, of people doing relaxing things inside their homes. This left me with mixed feelings. Are the sketches unintentionally promoting the idea of peeking into others’ houses to find the peaceful “spaces in between”?

All in all, I loved the heart of the book, but I feel that the implementation could have been somewhat fine-tuned. It still offers a lot to its target age group of kids aged 4-7 years. Recommended but to be read with other supporting material and with adult guidance and discussion.

3.25 stars.

My thanks to Mayo Clinic Press Kids and NetGalley for the DRC of “The Spaces In Between”. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the book.

The Spaces In Between offers a thoughtful exploration of emotions, making it a valuable resource for young readers. The book effectively delves into various feelings, including anxiety, in a relatable and accessible manner. Through its engaging narrative, readers are encouraged to reflect on and understand their own emotions. Additionally, the book is enhanced by its charming illustrations, which bring the story to life and add an extra layer of visual appeal.

Thanks NetGalley for the preview!

The illustrations in this story were vivid and detailed and we enjoyed them very much. I felt like the story overall had a downer feel and didn’t quite turn around. Definitely helps explain anxiety but could have a little more positivity.

I really enjoyed the idea of this book, but it did feel like it was missing a little something. I'm not quite sure what that is, but possibly it's that a lot fo the 'between' spaces were quite specific. I think it would have a wider appeal if it had more focus on abstract ideas, rather than 'library' or 'coffee shop'.

I do feel it might be good for an adult/child to read together though, as a starting point for finding 'calm' places in a busy world

I received an advance copy for free from NetGalley, on the expectation that I would provide an honest review.

This was very cute and I think very effective to teach about feeling overwhelmed and anxiety in big and loud places. The use of sound words and bolding important words was great. I also really love a book that rhymes, it always feels like it flows well and is very effective. The colours and the illustration styles were gorgeous and I loved all of the fun details. 100% loved this book

Love this book! It addresses how we can support children with navigating a path through the noise of life and find those mindful pockets, those peaceful spaces and places throughout the day. The book, though aimed at kids is a gentle reminder to grownups about relaxing and taking care of their own mindfulness.

I received an ARC of this children's book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This is a wonderful book. The pictures are adorable and the text is great too!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an electronic copy to read in exchange for an honest review.

This is a great read for so many reasons. First, the illustrations are delightful! Second, the rhythm of the text creates a peaceful and relaxing experience. Third, and most importantly for me, the author is highlighting ways for children to be mindful. The author does a really great job acknowledging the fears and anxieties that can occur in a loud and busy environment. Children don't have control over where they live or when they need to run errands, but now they will have strategies to create moments of calm in the chaos.

This reminded me of Richard Scarry and I really enjoyed it. The illustrations are adorable and bright and well-done and the storyline was cute and easy to follow.

This is such a wonderful story for children and their adult caregivers! Everybody needs to be reminded to find magic in the spaces in-between...magic and silence/peace. We live in a fast paced world, for children especially I believe it's got to put pressure on them and forces them to grow up even quicker (as a mom of two littles let me tell you this happens quick enough, thank you very much). Having spent time in Chicago during college but now living in a small town I can see how even in a quieter city the world can still get noisy and wreak havoc on one's mental health. This book, again, is a powerful reminder to people of all ages and backgrounds that it is OK to slow down and smell the roses, or the coffee if you prefer!

The graphics are also super stunning, can't wait to buy this one for my best friend and her kids since they still live in Chicago!

This is a great book for children living or traveling to large cities! The illustrations are so beautiful and feature a diverse set of characters. I love that everyone was included in The Spaces In Between!

Thank you to the author, the publisher, and NetGalley for providing an advanced digital copy in exchange for my honest review!

I liked the idea of this book, but the writing seemed off the mark for me. As a parent and an educator of children with anxiety and sensory processing challenges, I loved the idea of a picture book that explored the “spaces in between” you can find comfort and solace in a bustling city… but the book’s message seemed a bit like a disjointed look-closer-to-see-loveliness-in-the-gritty-city and a halfhearted mindfulness mantra…? I don’t know. Several pages featured awkward text to force a rhyming scheme, and other pages didn’t rhyme at all. I’ll still add a copy to our library’s shelves, though.

As a 3rd grade teacher I am always on the lookout for books that I can integrate into my classroom. I shared this book with my students and they enjoyed it. They liked the coloring of the illustrations and how well the pictures went with the words. They also caught the pictures on the wall of the last page were things that the girl saw during her day. They liked the rhyming beat of the story.

My students do not live in a big city, so they had a harder time understanding why finding the quiet was necessary. We did talk about the message of the book that no matter where you are, you can find calm happy spots.

Loved the theme of this book, loved the illustrations, and loved the mindfulness activities in the back. This is a perfect book to read with your littles if you live in a busy city. I'm not sure my rural students will quite understand the chaos of a big city, but everyone could use a quiet spot in the spaces in between!

Wow!! The illustrations in this book are breathtaking. The color & details really tell a story, as if we were really in the city.

As a mama to two neurodivergent children, this book really hit home for us. Sometimes places (especially big cities!) can seem so overwhelming and scary.

We all sat down and read this book together, it sparked a lot of conversation about the things that may overwhelm them and how we can find spaces/tools that are more calming for us. We also talked about our "spaces in between" and did some coloring pages that went along with the story of this book!

We loved at the end of the book where there is two pages that talk about mindfulness. These pages give you different ideas and exercises to help you be brave in the big city, or in any overwhelming situations!

I highly recommend this book to any parent/guardian. This book sparks a lot about big feelings and how you can handle them. Love love LOVE!

A different twist on mindfulness, providing many opportunities to overcome overwhelm in a big city. Loved the bright, inclusive illustrations and the additional suggestions at the back of the book.