The latest book in the Breathe Like a Bear series, and the SEVENTH collaboration between myself, Kira Willey and Rodale Kids, is out now!! Breathe Like a Bear: First Day of School Worries is a new mindfulness book for kids all about overcoming the jitters of trying something new.

The story follows Bear (who you may recognize from the original Breathe Like a Bear and the companion board book!) who is walking through the forest to her first day of school. But she’s a little nervous. Who else will be at school? What will they think of her? Will she be too different?

After meeting up with Bird, the two friends come across wise Owl, who shares a mantra with them to help them feel calm about their differences, while celebrating their similarities.

They continue on through the forest, and meet Fawn, who feels a little uncertain about the fact that she eats grass, while her new friends eat other things.

As the new friends arrive at school, they find lots of other young animals, each one unique and special in their own way. Bear, Bird and Fawn repeat their new mantra throughout the book, and the text also includes mindful prompts that ask questions for the readers/listeners of the story to answer, helping them to think about their own feelings.

In the end, Bear has learned to let go of the butterflies in her tummy, allowing her to relax and enjoy the new experience of school!

As with the previous six books I’ve illustrated for Kira and Rodale, this was such fun to bring to life visually. I so enjoy creating a colorful woodland world full of friendly animal characters and lush plants and trees. The team at Random House are always so easy to work with, and illustrating couldn’t be easier with such lovely text, written by the super star Kira Willey.