Review by Booklist Review
Little Panda loves doing yoga. Each day he takes class with the other jungle animals, stretching, posing, and balancing his body. But one day, Little Panda leaves class uncharacteristically sad. He realized that he didn't have bright feathers like Peacock, yellow and brown patches like Giraffe, or colorful exteriors like Iguana and Flamingo. He is only black and white! Wise Mama Panda knows just what to say, reassuring him that he is colorful on the inside. She begins to tell him about his chakras, walking him (and readers) through the colors and meanings of an individual's seven energy wheels. As each energy is introduced, the illustrations emphasize its representative hue, connecting Little Panda to his inner self as well as the world around him. By the end of this more spiritual exercise, Little Panda looks in the mirror and sees his colorful chakras shining bright inside of him. This positive story about self-acceptance will also work well for lessons on mindfulness.
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
Little Panda learns about his inner rainbow. "Little Panda loved to do yoga. / It was part of his daily routine-- / warrior, tree, downward dog with friends, / breathing and Oming in between." But one morning Mommy Panda is surprised to find Little Panda sad after the yoga that he loves. When asked, he says he has noticed that all his jungle friends are brightly colored, but he is just black and white. Mommy sits him down and tells him that while he is black and white on the outside, there is a rainbow of color wheels inside him. Starting with the red energy of the root chakra that keeps him grounded and connects him with the Earth, she rhymes her way through a description of each chakra in four-line stanzas (green and purple get two stanzas each). Little Panda is happy afterward and sees the rainbow within each time he looks in the mirror. Though Muchnik's text contains some big words that might spur questions from little meditators, Timmermans' illustrations of happy creatures effectively communicate the meaning and the domains of each colored chakra. The book closes with a simple chakra map. (This book was reviewed digitally.) A positive and uplifting introduction to an ancient tradition. (Picture book. 4-7) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
