Slow Down: 50 Mindful Moments in Nature

by Rachel Williams, Freya Hartas (Illustrator)

Overview

Bestselling author Rachel Williams and illustrator Freya Hartas invite children to Slow Down and watch 50 nature stories that command calm and foster mindfulness.

All around us, nature is working wonders. Every day, hour by hour, magical transformations happen right in front of you. But it’s not always easy to see them . . . In this beautifully illustrated collection, 50 moments in nature are paused for you to watch them in detail. Then you should go outside and explore and see what you find when you take the time to slow down. Gorgeously illustrated, this charming collection celebrates the small wonders happening all around us every day.

Slow Down series:
Slow Down
Slow Down and Be Here Now
Slow Down . . . In the Park
Slow Down . . .On Your Doorstep

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781419748387
Publisher:	Magic Cat
Publication date:	09/01/2020
Pages:	128
Sales rank:	114,653
Product dimensions:	9.50(w) x 11.50(h) x 0.70(d)
Age Range:	8 - 12 Years

About the Author

Rachel Williams studied literature before becoming an editor and publisher of children’s books. She is also the creator of bestselling natural history and adventure books, including the Atlas of Adventures series, Slow Down, and Illuminature. She lives with her husband and two small children in London.

Freya Hartas is a UK-based illustrator specializing in children’s books. She lives in the vibrant city of Bristol with her partner and their ancient black cat, Katsu, and works from her cosy, cluttered desk in a shared studio down the road. She graduated from Falmouth University in 2014 with a first-class honors BA in illustration. Hartas loves to conjure up humorous characters, animals, and monsters, creating the most fantastical worlds for them to inhabit and get lost in.

Editorial Reviews

**STARRED REVIEW**
"This immaculately illustrated tome intended for elementary-age naturalists is sure to charm observers outside that audience as well... Splendiferous!"—Kirkus Reviews

From the Publisher

★ 2020-07-14
An enchanting exploration of everyday miracles.

Young readers have long delighted in anthologies of natural extremes—but what if they found equal enjoyment in processes slightly more sluggish but no less majestic? Somewhere between a picture book and a comics compendium, this immaculately illustrated tome intended for elementary-age naturalists is sure to charm observers outside that audience as well. Inside, the authors suspend 50 “moments” from the natural world—from falling meteors to metamorphosis in frogs and butterflies, cloud formation to salmon spawning—in time, allowing readers to review each occasion at their leisure. In each section, several paragraphs of preamble provide a bit of context for the examined event; image-based sequential storytelling then breaks the occurrence down into constituent steps. Williams’ concise, melodic captions impart essential information in easy-to-digest portions: chewier than mere tidbits but nothing that would overwhelm one’s appetite. The feast is found in Hartas’ magical, delicate illustrations, which balance steadfast scientific accuracy with the slightest possible anthropomorphic exaggerations. All told, the format appropriately encourages gradual consumption: This is not a single-sitting read! Throughout, the book urges readers to get out, slow down, and take the world in; at the end, it even provides sample practices for engaged observation. A list of further reading presents a curated list of conservation- and mindfulness-related nonprofits and organizations while a selected bibliography directs readers hoping to take a deeper dive into a topic of interest. (This book was reviewed digitally with 9.2-by-23-inch double-page spreads viewed at 55% of actual size.)

Splendiferous! (Informational picture book. 4-12)

Kirkus Reviews