Yoga Bunny by Brian Russo is the story of a little bunny waking up on the perfect morning to practice yoga. As he begins his routine he thinks about how nice it would be if his friends joined him too, but Lizard is too tired and Fox is in too much of a rush and Bird can’t because he has the hiccups. Without pressuring his friends, Bunny calmly continues his yoga on his own, though it isn’t long before his friends begin to join in and see the value in yoga and being still with friends.

We all need a bit of yoga in our hectic, modern lives I think and it’s never too young to start! This is one of the best books I have come across for children that introduces them to not only the yoga poses in a fun way, but also exemplifies for them why yoga is so great. By having Bunny grounded, calm and centered amongst all the chaos around him, it teaches children that even when others are unable to stop, you can find peace through yoga.

This story is so simply and beautifully written it really is a perfect picture book. It teaches without directly informing, it is entertaining, its active yet calm and has a wonderful double plot of not just being about the power of yoga but also the power of friendship too. Helping others see what they cannot see themselves.

I love the simple, sparse and thickly lined illustrations and the inside wallpaper of the book is just brilliant, filled with pictures of Bunny in all his various yoga poses. My daughter Caitlin and I love to read this book at bedtime rather than first thing in the morning. We always have a lot of fun doing the poses as we read the story and the ending is so calm it is still a good, ‘getting ready to sleep’ book. This book would definitely suit 3-6 years. After that, the text and plot would be too simple, so it’s perfect for Caitlin and I at the moment.

For anyone wanting to introduce yoga to their littlies, this book is perfect!