Puppy in My Head: A Book About Mindfulness by Elise Gravel
Published by HarperCollins on January 5, 2021
ISBN: 006303767X
Pages: 32
Format: Picture Book Fiction
Goodreads

This is a book about mindfulness. The brown skinned narrator starts the book by announcing there’s a puppy in their head, and his name is Ollie. Most of the time, Ollie is calm and well behaved, but sometimes he gets excited, angry, and unable to control his emotions. The book walks the reader through the things the narrator does to calm the puppy in their head. Breathing, exercising, listening, and moving are all presented as ways to help calm the puppy down.

While the idea behind this book is a good one, the concept may be lost on young children. Young readers are so literal, the metaphor of a hyper puppy in their head may be hard to grasp and confusing. For readers slightly older, the concept may resonate, but the presentation will be too young. The illustrations are colorful, cartoonish, goofy and classic Elise Gravel. The emotions of the puppy are really brought out by the illustrations and add a level of humor to this book on a more serious subject. This is potentially a good book for starting discussion about emotions and how to respond to them. Recommended for readers 4 and up.

Reviewed by Jessie Trafton, Skidompha Library, Damariscotta, ME