Magic Tree House 21 is a children's book series written by Mary Pope Osborne. It is part of the larger Magic Tree House series, which is loved by children all over the world. In this particular book, titled "Civil War on Sunday," the main characters, Jack and Annie, are transported back in time to the year 1863 during the American Civil War. They find themselves in Virginia, where they witness the struggles and hardship faced by soldiers and their families during this turbulent time in history. Throughout the book, Jack and Annie meet historical figures such as Clara Barton, the founder of the American Red Cross, and they learn valuable lessons about courage, bravery, and compassion. This book takes readers on an exciting and educational journey through the past, showing the impact of the Civil War on the lives of ordinary people.
There are a lot of books and videos (even on YouTube) that teach you easy yoga positions you can do with children. You can easily make it fun for them.
From the creator of the New York Times bestseller The Tapping Solution comes a meditative picture book about the mood-lifting power of deep breathing that will guide children into a serene space of mindfulness. In this book emphasis wasn t placed so much on being mindful of your surroundings as much as it was to breath in and out deeply, and to replace negative thoughts with more happier ones.
This book takes readers on an exciting and educational journey through the past, showing the impact of the Civil War on the lives of ordinary people. It teaches children about an important period in American history and instills in them the values of empathy and understanding. Through the adventures of Jack and Annie, readers can experience a different era and gain a deeper appreciation for the sacrifices made by those who came before us.
Book Review – My Magic Breath: Finding Calm Through Mindful Breathing
Back in December (2017) I was fortunate to take some classes/workshops at our local community college through our county’s child resource development center. We had a plethora of workshops to choose from. I choose Humor for Children, Music for All Ages and a workshop on Yoga and Mindfulness for Children.
I have always heard great things about yoga and mindfulness. Even though I’m not “bendy” enough to perform yoga, and I have many stressful days where I can’t even think let alone try and be mindful. But I work with young children (kindergartners) so I figured I might be able to learn a skill or two I can apply to our classroom and utilize with our students.
First and foremost, you don’t need to be “bendy” to do yoga. You do with advanced levels, but for what you would do with young children, almost anyone can do it. We learned several positions to teach our students, many of which I was able to do even though I’m overweight and I was dealing with bursitis and aggravated arthritis at the time.
There are a lot of books and videos (even on YouTube) that teach you easy yoga positions you can do with children. You can easily make it fun for them.
The mindfulness portion of the workshop was most interesting. Not only did I pick up some great tips on how to incorporate it with our class, but I also learned some skills I can apply to my own life. I even taught my husband a few things and he uses a few of those skills to “decompress” after work or even while sitting at his desk at work.
We learned techniques for helping children (and even adults) to focus as well as to be mindful of the world around us. We even learned a few things we can do with Tibetan “singing bowls.”
Tibetan “Singing Bowl”
Another thing we learned in the workshop is mindful breathing. Being aware of your breathing, and learning to take deep, meaningful breaths, is a great way to not only get rid of stress, but it also makes you more conscious of your thoughts.
My husband uses mindful breathing more than I do (and I’m the one that took the workshop). He swears by it. He tells me all the time how much it relaxes him and helps him to feel less frazzled and stressed out.
You CAN teach mindful breathing to little ones. It’s not that hard to do. You can even purchase books about it geared towards children.
One such book was recently released (last week) called My Magic Breath: Finding Calm Through Mindful Breathing. The book was written by Nick Ortner and Alison Taylor. The illustrations are by Michelle Polizzi.
Nick Ortner is CEO of the Tapping Solution, LLC, a company with a mission to promote the natural healing method known as Emotional Freedom Techniques or “tapping” (a combination of Chinese healing practices). This is his second children’s book; his first was The Big Book of Hugs. He is also the New York Times bestselling author of The Tapping Solution, The Tapping Solution for Pain Relief, and the upcoming book The Tapping Solution for Manifesting Your Best Self. Nick lives in Newtown, CT, with his wife and daughter, June. You can find Nick at facebook.com/nortner.
Alison Taylor is an elementary school teacher and coauthor of The Big Book of Hugs. She writes to inspire young people, especially her beloved June and Harris, to find what makes them happy. She lives in Connecticut with her husband.
Michelle Polizzi is an illustrator and designer living and working in California. This is her second book working alongside Nick Ortner and Alison Taylor. She lives in the East Bay with her sons, Rowan and River, her husband, Nick, and their beloved Frenchie, Oscar, where they spend their days creating and inspiring one another. You can see more of her work at designbylovelyday.com
This is an enjoyable book that I am looking forward to reading to my kindergarten classroom. In fact, we should be reading it the first week in June (we just have to finish up our unit on Dinosaurs).
From the publisher:
Do YOU have the magic breath?
When you are worried, or nervous, or sad, take a deeeep, deep breath. Now let it go.
Did that help you feel better? See? It’s magic….
With beautiful, fun illustrations and calming, soothing text, bestselling author Nick Ortner and illustrator Michelle Polizzi guide children into a serene space of mindfulness. Like doing yoga, listening to music, or reading your favorite book, deep breathing has magical effects on your mood and helps to manage an array of emotions. With a read-along and breathe-along element, this interactive picture book reminds everyone that peace is a single blow away.
This is an easy to comprehend book that shows children (and adult) the benefits of deep breathing and how it helps to make you feel calmer and how it came take your worries away.
The book takes a child step-by-step on how to breath so as to aid in releasing their anxieties and worries and replace them with happier thoughts.
When I took that workshop, our instructor referred to “mindful breathing” as deep breathing with being mindful of your surroundings. She had us listen to sounds in the environment as we breathed deeply, such as the birds, cars or a distant train. She also had us deep breath while listening to the “singing bowl.”
In this book emphasis wasn’t placed so much on being mindful of your surroundings as much as it was to breath in and out deeply, and to replace negative thoughts with more happier ones. But that is fine with me. At a young age children don’t necessarily need to be mindful of their surroundings as they breath, but more so use breathing as a technique to help them to calm down and to soothe their worries and negative thoughts.
I found this book to be very enjoyable, from a grown-up’s point of view, as well as from a teacher’s point of view (or in my case a teacher’s assistant). I also really enjoyed the lovely illustrations which were also soothing and colorful. They went “hand in hand” with the content of the book.
If you are looking for a simple and easy way to introduce breathing techniques to young children, My Magic Breath: Finding Calm Through Mindful Breathing is a great first book on the subject.
I hope that more classrooms take things like mindfulness, breathing and yoga into consideration. There are a lot of benefits to them and they could help children to cope better and feel less stressed. After all, A LOT of pressure is put on children these days between academics and sports. Children NEED coping mechanisms to help them deal with all the pressure in their lives, otherwise they’ll grow up to be frazzled and stressed out adults.
Look for My Magic Breath: Finding Calm Through Mindful Breathing where ever books are sold.
*I received a free copy to review. There was no compensation. The opinions expressed are my own and not influenced in any way.
In this book emphasis wasn’t placed so much on being mindful of your surroundings as much as it was to breath in and out deeply, and to replace negative thoughts with more happier ones. But that is fine with me. At a young age children don’t necessarily need to be mindful of their surroundings as they breath, but more so use breathing as a technique to help them to calm down and to soothe their worries and negative thoughts.
Overall, Magic Tree House 21: Civil War on Sunday is an engaging and educational children's book that combines history, fantasy, and adventure in a way that captures the imaginations of young readers. It teaches important lessons about empathy, resilience, and the power of history, while also providing an entertaining and exciting story. Whether reading alone or with a parent or teacher, children are sure to enjoy this captivating tale and come away with a greater understanding of the significance of the American Civil War..
Reviews for "Traveling through Time: A Closer Look at Magic Tree House 21"
1. Jennifer - 2 stars - I was really disappointed with "Magic Tree House 21". The storyline felt rushed and the characters lacked depth. It seemed like the author was just trying to churn out another book in the series without putting in much effort. I've enjoyed the previous books in the series, but this one fell flat for me. I hope the next installment will be better.
2. Mark - 1 star - "Magic Tree House 21" was a complete letdown. The plot was incredibly predictable and unoriginal. It felt like the same old formula that I've seen in previous books. The writing style was also quite basic and lacked any real substance. I was hoping for something more engaging and captivating, but unfortunately, it failed to deliver.
3. Emily - 2 stars - I found "Magic Tree House 21" to be incredibly repetitive. The same themes and ideas that I've seen in previous books were once again rehashed without much originality. The characters felt stagnant and lacked any kind of growth or development. Overall, it felt like a copy of previous books rather than a fresh addition to the series. I was disappointed and expected more from the author.
4. Michael - 2 stars - As a long-time fan of the "Magic Tree House" series, I was expecting more from book 21. However, I found the plot to be lacking in excitement and adventure. It felt rushed and didn't hold my attention like previous books in the series. The characters also felt one-dimensional and the dialogue was lackluster. I would recommend skipping this one and hoping for better in the next installment.
5. Sarah - 3 stars - While "Magic Tree House 21" wasn't my favorite book in the series, I still found it to be an enjoyable read. The story was entertaining, although somewhat predictable, and the writing style was engaging enough to keep me turning the pages. However, I did feel that it lacked the magic and charm of the earlier books in the series. Overall, it was an okay addition to the series, but not one that left a lasting impression.