Ladybird’s Remarkable Relaxation
Michael Chissick and Sarah Peacock
Singing Dragon
In similar vein to Frog’s Breathtaking Speech is yoga teacher, Michael Chissick’s second picture book with artist Sarah Peacock. Here we have a story featuring a helpful character Ladybird, who comes to the aid of Dog, Frog, Flamingo and Dragon all of whom have their own particular anxieties. Dog has trouble writing stories, Frog has too much to do at home and cannot see where to start, Flamingo is being bullied at school and Dragon is feeling very sad because his Granddad has recently died. Rather than taking on their problems for them, Ladybird provides them with a special technique that enables them to relax. In a relaxed state, each animal is able to step back from his or her problem, see the bigger picture and find a plan to deal with it.
In short this is a problem solving story which incorporates a child friendly form of yoga nidra that can be used with primary school children. Even those as young as four or five can work with this version so long as they have already had some previous experience of yoga and relaxation techniques
As both a long standing primary school teacher and an experienced teacher of yoga to young children I can wholeheartedly recommend this book. The author has extensive experience of teaching yoga to children, in particular those with autism spectrum disorders and so he provides concise, easy to follow guidance for teachers and other adults wanting to use his techniques; he explains the basics of yoga nidra, (a very important skill for both children and adults) talks about how to use the book in schools as part of PSHE, in children’s yoga classes or at home and most important, there is a three-phase outline of how to teach Ladybird Relaxation including a script.
Sarah Peacock’s paintings of the characters are great fun and beautifully portray the emotions of the four

as they change from woeful at the outset to relaxed and smiling at the end of the story.
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If this interests you, then go to the section Pages for Parents and Carers. for a review of Frog’s Breathtaking Speech.
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