Please welcome authors Stephanie Wildman and Jyoti Rajan Gopal to Dynamic Book Duos – a blog featuring two books that pair together in a meaningful way along with educational activities to strengthen reading skills. This week’s pairing focuses on ways to feel connected to yourself and to community.
PERFECT PAIR:
Breath by Breath and One Sweet Song complement each other as bedtime stories or anytime stories that bring a sense of calmness to the reader and listener. The lyrical One Sweet Song, by Jyoti Rajan Gopal and illustrated by Sonia Sánchez, provides, through rhyming and counting, the opportunity, to feel connected to sounds outside ourselves while the rhythmic Breath by Breath, by Stephanie Wildman and illustrated by Estefanía Razo, offers a chance to build awareness of the internal parts of the body. Together these books connect the reader to feelings within themselves and the world around them. “Feel Connected to Yourself and to Community.”
Book 1: One Sweet Song
Both a bedtime story and an ode to musical connection, this story steps out on the balcony for a shared moment of spontaneous joy and celebration. A single note trills through the air. Another note joins, and then another. One by one, curious people are drawn to their windows, doorways, and balconies to support the medley. All are welcome as the notes swirl and dip and crescendo, coming together to make one sweet song. And when the music fades and this diverse neighborhood is once again silent, the reverberations of unity remain. (Candlewick Press)
Book 2: Breath by Breath
In this bedtime (or anytime) story, twins Flor and Roberto wonder how they can possibly go on an adventure at the same time as they go to sleep. Big brother Luis guides them in an exercise through their bodies, from the top of their heads to the tips of their toes. Following the gentle inhale and exhale of their breath, Flor and Roberto find love and calm inside and all around them as they drift off to sleep. Bonus content provides direction for mapping your own body scan. (Lawley Publishing)
EDUCATIONAL ACTIVITIES:
Activities for Breath by Breath:
Activities for One Sweet Song:
Movement Activity:
Find two different kinds of music. One with a fast, loud beat and one that is soft and slow. How would your body move to the different music? Would your breath feel different? Try it out! What do you notice?What if you were dancing with another person? Join hands and dance. What do you notice?
Activities for Both Books:
Conversation Starter:
What is your bedtime routine? What are your favorite parts? What parts help you feel ready to go to bed or to fall asleep? When you breathe in deeply like Flor and Roberto in Breath by Breath, where do you feel it? Do you listen to music to fall asleep like the child in One Sweet Song? What music do you listen to? How does the music make you feel? Does different music make you feel different things? Does it change your breathing?
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