My Daddy Is a Pretzel: Yoga for Parents and Kids - Hardcover

Father of three boys and world-renowned yoga teacher Baron Baptiste has transformed yoga teaching in the US and Europe with his unique brand of power Vinyasa yoga. The son of two pioneering yoga teachers, Baron was brought up in San Francisco and started his yoga training in India at the age of twelve. Supporters of his method come from every walk of life, and include international film stars such as Helen Hunt, Elisabeth Shue and Raquel Welch. He regularly leads retreats and bootcamps in Mexico, Montana and Hawaii, and his institutes also offer yoga classes especially for children. Baron is also the author of best-selling yoga books Journey into Power (2002) and 40 Days to Personal Revolution (2004). Sophie Fatus is a full-time illustrator and sculptress, who studied at the prestigious Academy of Fine Art in Paris. Her brightly coloured illustrations and quirky style are world-renowned and have graced the pages of several other Barefoot Books including The Story Tree (2001), Babushka (2002), The Barefoot Book of Monsters! (2003) and Riddle Me This! (2003). Sophie lives in Florence.

PreSchool-Grade 2 - This picture book revolves around children participating in a yoga class and discussing their parents' occupations. For each job - gardener, veterinarian, architect - a corresponding pose is demonstrated - tree, dog, triangle. Stylized watercolor illustrations alternate between spreads showing people at work and an assortment of smaller paintings that break the poses into several steps, along with simple instructions. Introductory paragraphs for each posture attempt to relay the underlying philosophy, with varying success. "The tree pose teaches us to support ourselves with strong roots, so that we can reach high and remain stable, yet be flexible, at the same time" is straightforward enough for young children to grasp. However, the explanation for the plow pose is a bit more obtuse: "Like the plow that turns the soil over to make way for new growth, this pose teaches us that overturning old ways of seeing things sets the ground for inner growth." With warmth and charm, this offering gently encourages young readers, along with their parents, to give yoga a try just for enjoyment. While it serves as an attractive introduction, Thia Luby's Children's Book of Yoga (Clear Light, 1998) provides a much more comprehensive treatment of the subject. - Joyce Adams Burner, Hillcrest Library, Prairie Village, KS
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