Though my learning goal for 2020 centers around adding yoga to my exercise life (my specific goal is to do one yoga class each week), my girls have long loved doing yoga. They love yoga books, yoga card games, and Cosmic Kids Yoga videos. When I saw the newest children’s yoga book advertised at our local children’s bookstore, I knew I wanted to get my hands on it for the girls. Fortunately for me, Abrams Kids reached out and offered to gift us one! Of course, all thoughts and opinions to follow are my own. Read on to see what makes Yummy Yoga: Playful Poses and Tasty Treats by Joy Bauer, illustrated by Bonnie Stephens, a unique contribution to the world of children’s yoga materials!
You may recognize Joy Bauer’s name from her role as a health and nutrition expert on the Today show, or from hosting Health + Happiness, or as a columnist for Women’s Day, or from her numerous published cookbooks. Yummy Yoga was her first foray into the world of children’s literature, and she really nailed it, in the opinions of my girls and me!
When you open this book, you’ll see spreads of children holding common yoga poses opposite sculptures of fruits and vegetables placed in the same positions, “holding” the same common yoga poses! How clever is that?
But, here’s where the magic is… When you lift the flap under the picture of the child, Bauer has created a tasty recipe using the ingredients pictured opposite! All of the recipes contain fairly common ingredients and could be created by children, with simple help and guidance from an adult (because, of course, please always supervise children when they’re using the stove, oven, or sharp knives!).
How creative — and motivating — is that? It’s so fun to see the sculptures Bauer created and Stephens captured. I mean, who would have ever thought to use a banana, a strawberry, some blueberries, and some kale to depict a plank pose? And, then, to use those ingredients in a recipe for a Berry-Banana Smoothie? It’s just delightful!
Do you want to get your children moving a bit more? Or are you looking for ways to either involve them in the kitchen or encourage them to try new and different foods? If the answer to any of those questions was “Yes,” then you might just need Yummy Yoga!
If you liked this, check out these other children’s yoga books and games that we love in our house:
- The Kids’ Yoga Deck by Annie Buckley
- Yoga Pretzels: 50 Fun Yoga Activities for Kids and Grownups by Tara Guber and Leah Kalish, illustrated by Sophie Fatus — I’ve had this one since my classroom days, when we’d pull cards throughout the day for “brain breaks!”
- I am Yoga by Susan Verde, illustrated by Peter H. Reynolds
- Good Night Yoga: A Pose-by-Pose Bedtime Story by Mariam Gates, illustrated by Sarah Jane Hinder
- You Are a Lion! And Other Fun Yoga Poses by Taeeun Yoo
All links for purchase are Amazon Affiliate links. Thank you for considering making a purchase through my links!
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