Madhouse Family Reviews: Picture book review : Yoga Babies

Tuesday, 19 September 2017

Picture book review : Yoga Babies - Fearne Cotton

There's no stopping Fearne Cotton ! Not content with being one of the UK's most in-demand TV and radio presenters, captaining a team on Celebrity Juice, completing arduous challenges such as climbing Mount Kilimanjaro and cycling the length of Britain with David Walliams for charity, being the face of BaByliss, launching her own fashion range with Very.co.uk AND (arguably the toughest challenge of the lot !), being a mum-of-two, she has also just written a cute picture book called Yoga Babies.

Fearne completely understands the time pressures put on parents and kids in the modern world but she also believes that being healthy needn't be expensive, time-consuming or difficult, so she is on a mission to involve children and families from all backgrounds in activities that can improve their health and mental well-being, as well as promote a lifelong love of reading. Give the girl an MBE right now !

In the preface, Fearne says : "Yoga is such a wonderful activity for all the family and has a hugely calming impact all round. It's great for coordination as well as health and well-being. It's also lots of fun ! I love doing yoga with my kids but I'm not a yoga teacher. The text and illustrations in this book have been approved by a qualified yoga instructor, but Yoga Babies was not written as a 'How-To' guide."

The Yoga Babies are very cute. We had a good giggle when we spotted Sophie as well as Emily (my sister) among the names, but our favourite is George, running away squealing with his toys ! There are also Rex, Prakash, Maya, wild-haired Kit and the twins Sam and Tom. Whatever their looks and personalities, most young readers will find at least one that they can identify with.

The book, written in short rhymes, shows how yoga can be incorporated into your day without going to a class or making it into a big thing. The cute illustrations, by Sheena Dempsey, show the Yoga Babies striking a pose at a barbecue in the park, in the bathroom, in the garden or at Granny's house, amongst other places. It's a great way of bringing yoga to the masses, especially for those who might be put off by an official class, thinking you have to be extremely supple or invest in specific yoga clothes or equipment. Seeing how successful the mums and dads in the story use yoga to calm the kids down after a rough day or just before bedtime, if you fancy giving it a go yourself, there are a few simple (and above all fun) yoga poses that you can try with the kids on the back cover.

RRP : £9.99 (currently £4.99 on amazon)