Children need to understand that taking time to reset and relax is just as important as eating healthy. With the soft colors and hues of purple and blue, The in-between book is great at centering children to understand their own mental health. This book can be used as a family connector and engage everyone to settle down and think internally.

This book teaches children about the Japanese concept of ma, which is essentially negative or empty space. The act of noticing the space between things, such as the pause between heartbeats, or the time between being asked a question and answering it, can be used as a form of mindfulness, as is explained in a note following the main text of the book. Through the main text, the reader is guided through different exercises aimed at noticing the spaces between things, going through an array of examples to exemplify all the ways this space could take form. I found it interesting and fun, and I think children would enjoy the experiments and concept of it. Depending on the child, some guidance from an adult might be helpful, and honestly, I think any adult that joins in will find it interesting as well. I can understand how some people won't "get" it; not everyone can grasp mindfulness and related concepts, but I think most will be able to understand it. The art is calm and soothing in shades of purple and blue, and the text guides the reader through skillfully without feeling condescending or too "woo." Anything that gets kids (and adults) to stop and notice things about the world around them is a good thing!

#TheInBetweenBook #NetGalley

This is a high concept. Looking for the spaces between things. Mostly the book is asking the reader questions or to do things, mainly looking for spaces. The spaces between a jump and a land, the space between a clap, the space between the trees. I think for this book to truly be the lesson it wants to be, you have to have an adult who believes and sees the world like this. I like the story, but feel I can do nothing with it. I wouldn’t use it for storytime, and while I know it is to help in the concept of Mindfulness, it just seems too vague.

We absolutely loved this! We loved reading it outside and putting different ideas together as we went through it. Such a great one to read with the kids!!!

This is a children's book that I read to my twin boys. I liked what this book was thing to do, but I think overall it was just to much. I do not think that the pictures would draw a kid into the story. I was kindly provided an e-copy of this book by the publisher or author via NetGalley, so I can give honest review about how I feel about this book. I want to send a big Thank you to them for that.

'The In-Between Book' by Christopher Willard & Olivia Weisser brings the Japanese idea of ma...which to many of us is an unknown word. However, as an artist, typographer, digital designer, you might know it as "negative space." There is such importance in this idea, as the ma, or negative space, brings special attention the things/feelings/sounds around us. In my opinion, ma is an underutilized means to understand mindfulness. This book recognizes that and shows us how.

Alison Oliver, the books illustrator, knows just how to bring magic, joy & comfort to children's books. Her color palette, while minimal in mostly purples, blacks, and dashes of blue, bring a calming effect to young readers...which explains why she is the celebrated artist for the bestselling BabyLit book series.

This is a book that will be read again and again...its outcome changing as my children get older.

A big thank you to Netgalley and Sounds True for the opportunity to read and review this book.

This book was interactive. I thought it was a book about practicing mindfulness, but it is actually about ma, the Japanese idea of space between everything. Very interesting.

This is a neat children's book on mindfulness and meditation. It makes the spaces between physical objects, and the natural pauses between things like heartbeats and breaths, the focus of the text. It invites children to connect with the book by noticing and touching the spaces on the pages. It also helps them to connect with others by noticing the silence between a joke and the resulting laughter. Children are also asked to notice the spaces between clouds, stars, and even their own footsteps while walking. It's definitely worth checking out!

Thanks to Sounds True and NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book.

Love this book and how it promotes mindfulness. Helps children learn about their body and what it’s feeling in every moment throughout the day which is so helpful for self regulation.

Thanks to netgalley for the free arc

Gorgeous and such a needed book about mindfulness for kids (and adults!). I have a few children’s books about mindfulness but I love how this one includes *practical* exercises to help guide children in working with mindfulness. Absolutely will be grabbing this one when it comes out!

A sweet book with an important message about the importance of free space and silence. It's interactiveness makes it appealing for children.

An extremely nice book to teach small children the basis of meditation explained in very simple words and techniques. I cannot say that the pictures are very appealing for children but the techniques that do not last long are to be taken like a small game with children.
Through the idea of being in this moment and acknowledging the space and time between different actions is based on the core concept of mindfulness – the practice of staying present.
After each task the main question is “What does this mean? “. An example from the book would be the one where the child has to turn to the person reading the book to him and give them a hug. During this hug they have to be aware of their feelings and express those.
The author mentions that the book was inspired by the Japanese idea of “ma” – the space between everything.

This is such a cute book about the ancient Japanese custom of ‘ma’. I loved the interaction it brought to readers and it made the concept easy enough to grasp with the author adding room for the readers to engage with the book and concepts at their own pace. Being mindful and present is becoming increasingly popular amongst younger children and I think this book would be great to read at home or within a story time at school or at the library. I will definitely incorporate this book into upcoming story times at my library. The stark colours and pictures also added an extra element to the book and I feel like this helps children to engage with the story.

This is a useful book for practicing mindfulness with elementary age students. I don't think I would read the whole book in one sitting but rather pick out a page or 2 each day to practice finding the space. I think this book could also be translated into activity cards or posters for use in the classroom. I like the way the activities carefully enable children to understand what finding the space means in a number of different ways.

This was a great way to introduce mindfulness to children.

The book is interactive and looks at the Japanese concept of “Ma”.

It was easy to follow, good to have the interaction and the illustrations and tones chosen are perfect. I have attended a few mindfulness sessions through work and this hits it all on the head in a wonderfully simplistic way for children.

It is 5 stars from me for this one – very highly recommended!

The In-between book - I read this with my 10 year old son who throughly enjoyed it.

Children have a lot of stress in their lives and teaching them mindfulness from an early age is critical as they navigate through Childhood and into the teenage years and then transition into adulthood - this book helps them to discover mindfulness techniques.

This book is simple yet effective. We really enjoyed the physical aspect of listening to our heartbeats and actually sitting still and being encouraged to think about the little pauses in our day.

My son particularly enjoying the interactive nature of this book.

The illustrations are very effective and engaging.

Mindfulness is not new but has gained additional awareness to the general public in recent years. As more people discover strategies for The practice of mindfulness is an abstract concept which sometimes makes it difficult to teach or introduce to children or other concrete thinkers.

"The In-Between Book" by Christopher Willard and Olivia Weisser takes on the challenge of teaching readers the Japanese concept of "Ma," or finding space for grounding and awareness in the organic spaces of life. In my work as a therapist, I regularly guide clients in mindfulness skill rehearsal. It is essential to build the skills and understanding of skill application in times of calm in order to competently apply skills in times of distress. The examples presented in this book put to rest the argument that one doesn't have time to apply mindfulness concepts as the examples take just a moment in current space. The choice to use a purple color pallet throughout the book aids in the overall soothing presentation.

I did find the text to be elevated above the typical developmental level of the suggested reader age range of 4-8. For this age range, I would have wanted the book to be even more concrete and sparsely worded. I found this book to be more appropriate for children above age 8 who have a slightly more mature understanding of time, body, and space.

Overall, I am glad to have been introduced to this soon-to-be published book and am excited to share it with my followers and colleagues. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an electronic copy to read and provide an honest review. These opinions are my own.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an electronic copy to read and review.

Oh this book is such a brilliant way to introduce mindfulness to children. It really helps children focus on the little pauses in life - you know the ones that we skip over so often but are so perfect when we stop to notice them. Like the pause between breathes, or heartbeats. The pause between sentences. I cannot wait to read this one to my students once it is published.

This is a delightful book that will have kids interacting with the world around them. Kids can focus, feel and engage on the spaces they discover between things and in so doing practice their in-and-out breathing techniques. It casts a wonderful lesson about mindfulness, curiosity, and enjoying all the wonderful things their world has to offer. It encourages kids to "stop... and smell the roses"... and learn to quietly and peacefully enjoy an otherwise busy, and oftentimes chaotic environment.

"Turn to the person reading this book with you and give them a hug.
Can you feel a space between you?
What are the feelings between you?" --

The theme of this book focuses on the Japanese idea of "ma", the space between everything.

The illustrations are simple, calming and powerful. The message is positive and when implemented kids will become more connected to their surroundings and stay in the present. This book would be a great asset in a classroom or school library.

As it says in the description, it teaches children to practise mindfulness and calm their curious minds. The illustrations are so soothing when reading to my child. If children practise mindfulness regularly, they will realize and experience the world around them. The only thing I noticed while reading the book with my child is that it has long sentences and some difficult words for small agers. It may be better suited for older children to understand things clearly than small children.