Thursday, August 4, 2016

Review: Maria Explores the Ocean by Giselle Shardlow


MARIA EXPLORES THE OCEAN
A Kids Yoga Colors Book
by Giselle Shardlow
Illustrated by Vicky Bowes
Picture Book
Ages 2+
46 pages



Dive in to learn about Pacific Ocean animals through ocean yoga poses for kids!

Join Maria as she explores the ocean with her granddad. Glide like a manta ray, float like a jellyfish, and cruise like a parrotfish. Learn what's under the water, act out ocean animals, and practice colors!

Kids Yoga Stories introduce you to engaging characters who will get your child laughing, moving, and creating. Reading is good for the mind AND body! The story links several yoga poses in a specific sequence to create a coherent and meaningful story.

This yoga book for toddlers and preschoolers (ages 2 to 5) is more than a storybook, but it's also a unique experience for children.





MY TIDBITS

This is one of the better yoga books for kids that I've come across. The author does a fantastic job combining colorful illustrations with an interesting story and incorporating all of that with detailed and easily understood yoga stances for children.

Maria's journey to the ocean is packed with all sorts of interesting sea life and short adventures. Accompanied by her grandfather, the two have a lovely relationship. This adventure alone is worth reading and sure to make a great bed-time story. The added illustrations are lovingly created and colorful as a rainbow. There's just enough details thrown in to draw in the interest which keeps those pages turning time and again.

But the real treat are the yoga moves. In a corner of each scene, Maria is illustrated in a small circle as she holds a yoga position. It's easy to imitate and molds in well with the story being told on the page. The invitation to imitate Maria makes it impossible not to stand up and try the move too.

At the end, there's a lovely collection of explanations and suggests. And in the beginning, there are also a few words of advice on how young listeners can be best lead in the story as well as the yoga moves. In other words, this is a well rounded book young listeners are sure to enjoy.




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