Official Review: The Ten Story Collection by Patricia May

[gali]

[Following is the official OnlineBookClub.org review of "The Ten Story Collection" by Patricia May.]

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4 out of 4 stars

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Meditation is a growing trend nowadays. The Ten Story Collection by Patricia May is a cute children's mediation book containing ten interactive stories designed to help kids to unwind and chill out after a stressful day. The author was inspired to create this delightful collection after attending a davidji seminar in Denver.

In the words of the author the book "introduces meditation in the form of a short story rhymes using a seashell as an interactive tool". The kids listen to the story while holding a seashell up to their ear. The soothing music provided through barcodes adds to the relaxing atmosphere. Each story in the book takes place in a different location and enticing illustrations grace its pages. At the end of the collection the author gives ten convincing reasons why kids should mediate. It helps to them relax, decreases aggressiveness, and provides valuable skills to name a few.

The poems are in fact relaxing visualization exercises using a guided imagery technique. The child needs to follow the instructions (i.e. taking a long deep breath, count to three and so on), and picture the scene described in order to relax. It is really sweet and gets the imagination going whilst relaxing him at the same time. Each poem concludes with the word "Namaste", meaning "I bow to you", an expression of greeting in Hindi. Being unfamiliar with it, I had to look it up.

I loved the book and the concept. I have read some of the stories to my nine year old son and he liked them. Our favorite poems were "The stream" which takes the reader to a trip on a wooden boat, and the "Forest" which takes the reader to a magical forest. The book advises to use a seashell for the exercises. It can be a problem since not everyone has an access to one. However, I think one can enjoy the book even without the shell. At one point my son preferred listening to the poems without the help of the shell.

The only issue I had with the book was his small size font. I got this collection as an ebook, but was unable read it on my kindle due to its too small font size. I didn't succeed to enlarge the writing, so ended up reading it on my computer, not a big deal. I suggest getting the book as a paper book for better reading experience. Otherwise the poems were engaging, the music soothing, and the illustrations beautiful.

It is my first meditation book so I can't compare it to other books, but I found it a great introduction to the world of meditation for kids. Actually, it's also a nice introduction for adults unfamiliar with mediation as well. Overall I found the book a great interactive tool, so I rate it 4 out of 4 stars. This book has wonderfully detailed descriptions and great background music. The language is relatively simple so kids can understand it without any hassles. The author put together soothing meditations that are accessible to kids of all ages teaching them to relax. It is best to read it to the kids before bed, since it gives them great things to dream about afterward. I would recommend it to for kids aged
2 – 12 years as it a good start for beginners.

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The Ten Story Collection
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon

Like gali's review? Post a comment saying so!

[Insomniac07]

The concept of this book is so unique and interesting. I just started trying meditation to help me sleep better but could never have imagined it would be something for kids as well.

Also, I'm an Indian and I've never known that meaning for 'Namaste'. It's just like hi and hello in English. Apparently it means 'I bow to the divine in you.' Makes sense as in Hinduism, one school of thought is that there is something divine in all of us.

Great Review. Congratulations to the author for getting 4 stars for the books.

[gali]

The concept of this book is so unique and interesting. I just started trying meditation to help me sleep better but could never have imagined it would be something for kids as well.

Also, I'm an Indian and I've never known that meaning for 'Namaste'. It's just like hi and hello in English. Apparently it means 'I bow to the divine in you.' Makes sense as in Hinduism, one school of thought is that there is something divine in all of us.

Great Review. Congratulations to the author for getting 4 stars for the books.

Thank you for your kind words.

[Vermont Reviews]

Gali,

Excellent review.

Vermont Reviews

[gali]

Gali,

Excellent review.

Vermont Reviews

Thank you.

[Heidi M Simone]

Beautiful review, gali! I love this concept! I once saw a teacher perform yoga exercises once a week and have her third graders rate their emotions before and after the yoga/breathing exercises. The kids really looked forward to every Wednesday because of this. I agree on the effectiveness of doing this. It can be relaxing and helps to focus on good energy rather than negative ones.

All-in-all, I loved reading your review and congratulate the author for receiving positive feedback and for writing such a great book!

[gali]

Beautiful review, gali! I love this concept! I once saw a teacher perform yoga exercises once a week and have her third graders rate their emotions before and after the yoga/breathing exercises. The kids really looked forward to every Wednesday because of this. I agree on the effectiveness of doing this. It can be relaxing and helps to focus on good energy rather than negative ones.

All-in-all, I loved reading your review and congratulate the author for receiving positive feedback and for writing such a great book!

Thank you for your kind words. It is indeed a great practice for kids.

[bookowlie]

Great review! The concept of the stories sound unique and I think kids would love trying something different.

[LivreAmour217]

Nice review! This seems like a very unique book! I'm not personally into meditation, but I'm sure that this book would be a useful relaxation tool for many children.

[gali]

Thank you both.

[bluemel4]

I really enjoyed your review and I love that you had your son participate! I have also seen meditation work with children. It's amazing how effective it is when taken seriously. How did the music work with the text? Was it different per meditation or just playing in the background?

[gali]

I really enjoyed your review and I love that you had your son participate! I have also seen meditation work with children. It's amazing how effective it is when taken seriously. How did the music work with the text? Was it different per meditation or just playing in the background?

Thank you.

The music was playing in the background while I read the story. Each story had a diff barcode.

[Kia]

I can absolutely see the benefit of introducing meditation to children. This book sounds fantastic for helping to get kids to relax. Congratulations to the author for the great review!

[gali]

I can absolutely see the benefit of introducing meditation to children. This book sounds fantastic for helping to get kids to relax. Congratulations to the author for the great review!

I agree. Thank you.

[Patsymay122]

Thank you all for all the kind words on my book! And to gali, a special thanks for taking the time to read this book and give this your wonderful review! I really appreciate the fact that you actually took the time with your son. That is what it is all about! Thanks again, and Namaste, (The light in me beholds the light in you) Patricia May, author of the book, Seashell Meditations