Slow Down: 50 Mindful Moments in Nature
by Rachel Williams (Author) & Freya Hartas (Illustrator)
Genre: Children’s Picture Book, Nature
Publication: April 1, 2020
Publisher: Magic Cat Publishing
Distributor: Walker Australia
Source: Review copy from the publisher – Thank You
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Rating: ✵✵✵✵

Slow down to watch 50 nature stories that command calm and foster mindfulness

All around us, nature is working wonders. Every day, hour by hour, magical transformations happen right in front of you. But it’s not always easy to see them . . . In this beautiful illustrated collection, 50 moments in nature are paused for you to watch them in detail. Then you should go outside, and explore, and see what you find when you take the time to slow down. Gorgeously illustrated, this charming collection celebrates the small wonders happening all around us every day.

About the author
Rachel Williams studied literature before becoming an editor and publisher of children’s books. She is also the creator of best-selling natural history and adventure books, including The Atlas of Adventure series and Illuminature. She lives with her husband and daughter in London.

About the illustrator
Freya Hartas is a UK based illustrator of children’s books. She graduated from Falmouth University with a first class honors in BA illustration in 2014. The same year, she won the international Lemniscaat illustration Award which resulted in the publication of Little Kong, her first stand-alone picture book. In 2012 Freya Hartas won the Roald Dahl Funny Prize.

Slow Down is a book to be savored a little bit at a time. The artwork is a visual treat, absolutely stunning! There are no photos I can take to do the beauty held within these pages’ justice. Each double page spread features a new animal or act of nature, bringing about a calm as you focus on the pages, or rather a mindfulness as the book focuses on the world around us.

It took my boys and I a little while to get through this illustrated factual nature book. We were reading four stories (eight pages) each afternoon, taking the time and discussing the animal or event before we moved onto the next one.

Riley (6) was asking all sorts of questions about the critters we were reading about. And to keep Ethan (3) engaged we were counting how many lady bugs, butterflies, etc. were on the page and pointing out the creature’s colors etc. I like to think that subconsciously some of what I was reading out loud was being absorbed. At least I know from the conversations we’d have later in the night about something we’d read in the book that Riley was absorbing some of the information.

This book has fifty different ‘stories’ about the amazing earth we inhabit and the fascinating creatures we share it with. There is a double page spread about butterflies going through metamorphosis, the fazes of the moon, cherry blossoms, how spiders make their webs, horse’s galloping, bees making honey and so much more!

Slow Down is a fantastic tool for introducing, or reintroducing depending on the children’s/adult’s age, to the wonderful natural world around us.