Prasha Sooful (text), and Betania Zacarius (illustrator), Counting to Calm: My First Self-Regulation Book, Soaring Kite Books, Mar 2024, 22 pp., RRP $24.99 (board), ISBN 9781958372319
Learning to self-regulate can be a tough ask for kids. Their early years are all about learning how to interact with the world around them, and it can be a challenge grasping how to remain calm when instinct tells them that it’s time to blow up!
In Counting to calm: My first self-regulation book, the concept of calming down after an upset is offered to children in a gentle, lyrical fashion, with bright, self-explanatory illustrations to support the message of self-regulation. Normalising outbursts in young children, this book doesn’t imply that dysregulation is a bad thing, but instead acknowledges that upsets happen and offers an easy 10-step process to regain control, refocus, and get ready to bounce back!
Aimed at children from babies to 4 years, this book is accessible to all kids, whether it’s read aloud with them or they are given time to scroll through independently. Even for kids at a pre-reading age, the illustrations and bright text is engaging enough alone and can still offer an experience to support littlies learning about self-regulation.
A mindful companion text to My body and me: My first body positivity book (also illustrated by Betania Zacarias), as part of the My first board books series.
Reviewed by Lauren Harcombe
