Breath and Be: Poetry Review
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Coombs, Kate. Breathe
and Be: A Book of Mindfulness Poems. Boulder, CO: Sounds True. ISBN-13:
978-1-62203-937-1
Laitinen, Anna Emilia. Breathe
and Be: A Book of Mindfulness Poems. By Kate Coombs. Boulder, CO: Sounds
True. ISBN-13: 978-1-62203-937-1
SUMMARY/ANALYSIS
This poetic picture book, written by Kate Coombs and
illustrated by Anna Emilia Laitinen, provides a wonderful collection of mindfulness
poems that teach children to take time to breathe and find peace within. These
poems do not follow a particular rhyme scheme or use language repetition, but
instead follow a similar pattern of poem length and words surrounding
mindfulness, nature, and breathing. These poems are all short, each one only
five lines in length, but are very powerful in the messages they convey. Each
poem serves to teach their readers of how to take mindful breaths and quiet
time to calm themselves, tying these poems to the theme of oneness with nature
through the topics of the poems, as well as the illustrations accompanying each
poem. The poems within this book do not have individual names, but rather flow
effortlessly on each page and continuing the mindfulness and nature theme on
each page of the book. An example of such perfectly paired poetry and
illustration can be seen in the poem comparing thoughts to little swimming
fish. The poem goes as follows:
What
am I thinking?
What
comes and goes in my mind?
I
watch my thoughts.
They
swim by like little fish.
They
shine blue, green, red, yellow.
This poem begins with the child dissecting their thoughts,
asking themselves what they are thinking about and why are these thoughts in
their head? As they continue their path of self-evaluation of thoughts, they
compare their various thoughts to fish as they swim by and across their mind,
shining in assorted colors. The image provided with this poem shows four
children in a boat resting upon a lake while one little girl swims beneath. All
around them are fish of different size and color, swimming by and around them. The
illustrated fish beautifully portray the symbolism of the various thoughts
within the child’s mind, some being bigger and more aggressive, while others
are small and pass by quickly. In this way, the poems and linked illustrations
in this book are perfectly matched, building upon on another and adding to the
overall feeling of the themes of mindfulness, breathing, nature, and sense of
calm within this book.
POEM PLUS “TAKE 5” ACTIVITIES
This poem is a wonderful example of the poems found within
this poetry picture book that speak of mindful breathing and provide a sense of
calm. As mentioned in the summary, these poems do not have individual names,
but rather flow out on each page. This poem does the same and does a great job
of encompassing what it feels like at times when our minds are too busy and
serves to remind us to calm down and take some time to simply breathe. This
poem is tied to a beautiful, colorful image of a little girl and her dog out in
nature. Her kite is stuck in a tree full of birds, and the image portrays these
birds in motion, fluttering and rushing in and out of the tree, reflecting the
rushing of her thoughts. The last two lines of the poem (the full poem provided
below) serve to promote taking some quiet moments to breathe and just be.
Sample
Poem
By
Kate Coombs
How I
rush rush rush!
Thoughts
flutter and dart like birds.
Slow
down, thoughts.
Come
quietly with me.
There
is time to breathe and be.
Take 5
Activities
1. Read this
sample poem from the book to the class, having them close their eyes and take
deep breaths in and out while listening to what the poem is saying.
2. Reread
the poem aloud to the group, this time having them say the last two lines along
with you, saying them in their best “gentle and calm” voices.
3. Have
the class all sit in a comfortable position, close their eyes, and practice
taking a few deep breaths in and out. Reread the poem one more time having them
continue their breaths. Discuss how this poem made the group feel. Do they feel
calmer? What happened with taking deep breaths? Are they a little sleepy?
4. Pair
this poem with a picture book about breathing and mindfulness, such as the book Breathe Like a Bear: 30 Mindful Moments
for Kids to Feel Calm and Focused Anytime, Anywhere by Kira Willey (Rodale
Kids, 2017) or the book My Magic Breath:
Finding Calm Through Mindful Breathing by Nick Ortner and Alison Taylor (HarperCollins,
2018).
5. Link this
poem to another poem about breathing and being calm, such as the poem “Breathe”
by online user Curtis (https://hellopoetry.com/
words/breathing/, 2014). How does this poem lead you to take mindful
breaths? How does it help you to calm yourself? Is this something they can use
in real life situations when they are feeling anxious or upset?
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