Liv Downing (text), and Mel Matthews (illustrator), You are Loved, Allen & Unwin, October 2022, 36 pp., RRP $24.99, (hbk), ISBN 9781760878146
At the back of this picture book are a series of simple exercises that parent and child can do together; encouraging a more mindful way of being through directing awareness to the beating of their hearts and the breath that passes in and out of their lips. This gentle practice is not only something that can be shared but incorporated into everyday life.
Author, Liv Downing, a psychologist, podcast host, mindfulness educator, meditation teacher and parent has brought her training and lived experience into You are Loved, a picture book for the very young. Using gently rhyming phrases, the young listener will know they are loved no matter where they are, what they do or how they feel; that love is unconditional.
The narrative is supported and extended by Mel Matthews gentle, warm and fun illustrations. The thick cardboard pages with cut outs, which eventually form a heart, add to the visual interest of the book as well as allowing the young listener to interact with page-turning.
There are a number of resources for adults using this text with young children at the publisher website. A great book for the home library. Suitable for ages 2+ .
Reviewed by Mem Capp
