My Magic Breath: Finding Calm Through Mindful Breathing

“Do you have the magic breath?” begins this picture book focused on mindful breathing. “Let’s see... Take a deep breath in... and blow it out!” A bespectacled child blows out bright, swirling patterns of color, a bit like a dragon’s fiery breath. “The magic breath is special,” Ortner and Taylor explain. “It helps when you have too many thoughts running through your mind.” A second child breathes out through her nose while thinking about something that makes her happy: her magic breath carries over two spreads, blowing the seeds off a dandelion. Thinking happy thoughts isn’t always easy, especially after a hard day. A somber child rests his hands under his chin, milky pastel clouds dripping raindrops around him. Readers are invited to visualize their own happy thoughts to help push the sad ones away. Polizzi’s airy watercolors nicely harmonize with the interactive aspect of the text (“Can you blow that sad thought right off the page?”), giving the book potential as either a resource for anxious readers or as a choice for group readalouds. Ages 4–8. (May)