A Boy and a Bear Endorsements
- This book provides a much-needed way for parents and educators to introduce deep breathing to children as a simple and enjoyable way to relax the body/mind. It tells the story of a boy and a bear who climb opposite sides of a mountain, meet at the top and smile a greeting. The boy notices how nice the sun feels, how good it is to lie on the flat rock and how he likes to take deep breaths (counting 1-2-3-4). The bear playfully imitates the boy, with comforting repetitive text saying, “…so did the bear” after each of the boy’s actions. They end up drifting off to sleep with the boy resting on the bear’s belly, noticing how his belly goes up and down while he breathes. Simple, beautiful, brilliant. These are excellent tools. I’m most grateful to Lori Lite. Highly recommended!
– Art C., Teacher
- My 4 year old son suffers from severe panic attacks, and because he is so young we have had a very difficult time helping him manage his attacks in a way that he understands. We have all of Lori Lites books & her CD, and they have helped us teach him proper breathing and relaxation techniques so well that when an attack begins we remind him to “breath like the bear” and he immediately begins his deep breathing. We have actually been able to lower his medication because of our success with your books. I would highly recommend any of Lori’s products for any child, especially if they have an anxiety condition.
– B.I.
- I was at my wits end with putting my 5 year old to sleep. My neighbor recommended “A Boy and A Bear” to me and I couldn’t believe the results. My son was finally able to calm himself down and get rid of his anxiety and fears. The way the boy shows the bear to do belly breathing is brilliant! I didn’t know how to breathe for relaxation myself but it didn’t matter. This book did all the work for me and I even learned how to breathe myself. I highly recommend this book for all children.
-J. Bloom
- I am a mental health therapist with children and families. There are many books and resources to teach kids about relaxation and breathing, but few work for me to introduce the concepts to my younger clients – preschoolers and younger elementary school children. (Though it would also be good for older elementary schoolers.) The simplicity of this book is calming in and of itself. The children I see enjoy it that the little boy in the book is the expert, and they enjoy the expressions of the overwhelmed bear as the boy helps him to learn how to manage his emotions. The pictures are simple – not like the color-saturated pictures common to most children’s picture books now – but that’s also part of the book’s charm and calming influence.
-Tricia Jalbert
- I just finished a four week Behavioral Pain Management program. The minute I got this book in the mail, I was aware of how valuable this would be for children who are either experiencing pain themselves, or know someone who is. A Boy and a Bear should be a part of every school library and every counselor’s office!
– Susan Wolf
- Having practiced yoga for several years I understand the power of breathing for relaxation, but I was stumped on how to teach my energetic, bouncing off the wall, 5 year old how relax himself to sleep. The Boy and the Bear has given me that tool. It’s simple, meditative and calming for us all. Tonight he said “Mom, let’s read the Boy and the Bear, it slows me down”. This book is magic. We read, we breathe, yawn and sleep.
– S. Paul
- We have several of Lori Lites’ book and the Indigo dreams CD, and like them all but this by far my challenging son’s favorite. My husband read the story the first few times, and my son did like the story, but did not get much from it. I realized that DH did not really understand the importance of using a very calm, soothing voice (it can be hard to find it with an oppositional child). So, I asked DH to simply flip pages with the CD going. They both got so relaxed they fell asleep. I will say I have some practice at mediation but I am no expert. I took a turn with as I had read the story and thought it would help if we could get him to participate. I started reading it and got so into it that almost forgot I was reading it to someone. Wow! I was floored when he began to spontaneously breathe rhythmically with me. He was so centered and peaceful for the next couple of days. It was one of the most rewarding moments I have had with him. Since then, Mommy reads the story to him. Is a cure all? No way, but if, you enjoy meditation and rhythmic breathing, and do the work for yourself in the book; you may just find that your child comes along for the ride.
-C.M.
- First I will begin by listing the programs/CD’s/books that I have purchased from Lite Books. 4 books: A Boy and a Bear, The Affirmation Web, A Boy and a Turtle and The Goodnight Caterpillar plus 5 audio CDs: Indigo Dreams, Indigo Ocean Dreams, Indigo Dreams: Garden of Wellness, Indigo Teen Dreams and Indigo Dreams: Adult Relaxation plus: Children’s Stress Awareness Curriculum Designed for Youth Education. Next I will say “THEY ARE ALL AMAZING!” For 9 years I worked as an advocate for children in a homeless shelter for women and children. I was constantly challenged with finding resources that were short, effective, and held the attention of the children. I was able to find resources but not all in one spot, I had to piece a little of this and a little of that to reach a fully rounded program that worked. The tools that Lori Lite created within each book and each CD offer short, highly effective programs that hold the attention of children. And best of all it is a package deal! You do not have to pull from any other program because the tools that she gives you are all you need. I am now an HHP and use the books and CD’s when working with children of any age to simply give them powerful tools that they can use in daily life and hopefully carry into teen and adult hood. In my opinion Lite Books offer the best resources available to the health and wellness of children on the market. Within my own life I use the CD’s as a nightly staple within the bedtime process of my children. They have not been able to stay awake long enough to finish even one of the stories on the CD yet. That is how relaxing the CD’s are. For myself I have to stay sitting up when tucking them in and listening with them because if I get comfortable I am waking up in the middle of the night still in my kid’s room! During daylight hours and when my children are well rested I have worked each session on the CD’s with them from beginning to end. Now when they are feeling overwhelmed, frightened, angry, etc… I will see them use the techniques they have learned through Lori’s programs, they move quickly from the negative feeling to a positive approach and positive result. Lite Books offers professional and friendly customer service, with great shipping time. I am so grateful to have found this amazing resource and look forward to being one of their strongest professional advocates as well as personal customers!
– T. Hartley
