The Three Little Yogis and the Wolf Who Lost His Breath: A Fairy Tale to Help You Feel Better

by Susan Verde, Jay Fleck (Illustrator)

Overview

The Three Little Yogis and the Wolf Who Lost His Breath is the first book in the Feel-Good Fairy Tales picture book series, introducing a calming spin on a classic from #1 New York Times bestselling author Susan Verde and illustrator Jay Fleck.

Once upon a time there lived a wolf who lost his huff and his puff. It was a BIG, BAD problem!
One morning, the wolf came upon a peaceful little yogi doing sun salutations. The wolf wanted to huff and puff and blooow her hut down into a big pile of straw. But instead, the yogi suggested, “Let’s meditate on that!”

Soon the wolf met a second yogi, and then a third. He may have lost his huff and puff—but with the help of three new yogi friends, can the wolf find his breath?

“Adults may find this story useful in teaching children how to deal with strong emotions, and children will enjoy trying out the various positions and modes of breathing.” —Booklist

The Feel-Good Fairy Tales series:
The Three Little Yogis and the Wolf Who Lost His Breath (#1)
The Tossy-Turny Princess and the Pesky Pea (#2)
Tortoise and Hare (#3)

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781419741036
Publisher:	Abrams Books for Young Readers
Publication date:	05/05/2020
Series:	Feel-Good Fairy Tales
Pages:	32
Sales rank:	291,915
Product dimensions:	9.20(w) x 11.10(h) x 2.00(d)
Age Range:	4 - 8 Years

About the Author

Susan Verde is the bestselling author of I Am Yoga, I Am Peace, I Am Human, I Am Love, I Am One, I Am Courage, I Am Me, The Museum, and You and Me, all illustrated by Peter H. Reynolds, as well as the Feel-Good Fairy Tales books, illustrated by Jay Fleck, and Rock ‘n’ Roll Soul, illustrated by Matthew Cordell. In addition to writing, she teaches kids yoga and mindfulness. Susan lives with her three children and their menagerie of pets in East Hampton, New York.


Jay Fleck drew a lot as a child but grew up to pursue other things, such as a degree in computer engineering. He found a renewed interest in art while living in Chicago, inspired by the art and culture found throughout the city. Jay is the author-illustrator of Tilly & Tank and the illustrator of a number of other children's books. He now resides in a suburb south of Chicago with his wife, two children, and loyal dog, Otis. He spends his spare time running, reading, and daydreaming.

Editorial Reviews

"Adults may find this story useful in teaching children how to deal with strong emotions, and children will enjoy trying out the various positions and modes of breathing."

Booklist

"Adults may find this story useful in teaching children how to deal with strong emotions, and children will enjoy trying out the various positions and modes of breathing."—Booklist

"Perfect to read one on one or in a group to help children (and adults) find their inner peace and power of breath." —School Library Journal

From the Publisher

"Adults may find this story useful in teaching children how to deal with strong emotions, and children will enjoy trying out the various positions and modes of breathing."

Booklist

03/01/2020

PreS-Gr 3—Verde (I Am Yoga) writes again about mindfulness in a new picture book that incorporates yoga into a nimble fractured fairy tale about a big bad wolf who inexplicably loses his huff and his puff. The wolf knows his long-standing outbursts of anger are futile but still has a compulsion to demolish everything in his sight. He meets three piglet yogis in succession and is miffed that he can't blow down their homes. When the yogis notice the wolf's frustration, they serenely respond, "Let's meditate on that." They teach him belly breathing, cooling breath, and other methods that help him, even if temporarily, to calm down and relax. After practicing his exercises with all three yogis, the wolf decisively finds his breath through yoga and learns how to control his anger. Verde's narrative text is so inviting that readers will want to practice the wolf's yoga and breathing patterns. She includes additional breathing exercises and poses at the back of the book. Fleck (Tiny T. Rex) illustrates this new-age tale with expressive characters in his charming graphic style of simple shapes and lines. The sophisticated complementary palettes on the double-page spreads have a calming effect, with pleasurable shades of gold, earthy greens, and more bold orange reds. VERDICT Perfect to read one on one or in a group to help children (and adults) find their inner peace and power of breath.—Rita Christensen, Orem Public Library, UT

School Library Journal

2020-02-26
This wolf huffs and puffs whenever he is angry, simply because he doesn’t know what else to do with his anger.

But now he has a problem: He has lost his huff and puff. One day when in a cranky mood he encounters a peaceful-looking pig practicing yoga. Much as he wants “to huff and puff and blow down” the pig’s straw house, he cannot. The pig yogi—a caricatured stereotype of all things yoga—oozes compassion for her natural competitor; suggests they “meditate on that” when he explains his dilemma (which is, of course, that he can’t blow down her house); and teaches him belly breathing. When this isn’t enough to fully squelch the wolf’s urge to huff and puff, they go off to another yoga-practicing pig’s home for more meditation and breathing until they finally wind up at a brick yoga studio. It’s surprising to see such a flawed treatment from the author of I Am Yoga and I Am Peace (2015 and 2017; both illustrated by Peter H. Reynolds). The tone is surprisingly elitist, suggesting that those who don’t know how to breathe away their anger just need to be enlightened by yoga. The illustrations further propagate this trope with their stark contrast between the villainous wolf and the serene pigs. The only bright spot is the inclusion of a nonbinary pig, who’s referenced using the singular “they.”

Even the most yoga-enthused readers may find this title pretentious and off-putting. (Picture book. 4-8)

Kirkus Reviews