Every parent knows the challenge of getting their child settled for sleep. For children’s book author Andrew Newman, though, those last 20 minutes before lights out are actually an opportunity—for parent-child bonding of course, but also for encouraging the child to connect with that peaceful place that always resides within, facilitating a sense of safety and belonging, and helping him/her process what went on in the day.
A poet and holistic healer, Newman had scratched out numerous stories, but a few years ago one cried out to be illustrated as a child’s bedtime story. Although that book never materialized, it set the stage for the “conscious bedtime stories” he released this year. Through lighthearted rhymes and whimsical illustrations, books like The Elephant Who Tried to Tiptoe and The Boy Who Searched for Silence delightfully communicate the importance of inner peace, self-acceptance, union with nature and other uplifting ideals. These unique books make great holiday gifts for kids ages 3 to 8.
Here is an excerpt from our conversation:
All your books start with a “snuggle breath” that parents are supposed to do with their child. Why?
Andrew: Focused breathing, which is done in many spiritual traditions, is a transition mechanism that takes both the child and the parent from the busy activities of the day into the stillness of being together. Before starting each story, you each take slow deep breaths and repeat the words written: “I breathe for me. I breathe for you. I breathe for us. I breathe for all that surrounds us.” Now you’re ready to start reading. It’s worth noting that out-loud bedtime stories are usually read side-by-side with your child. The Jewish mystical tradition of Kabbalah notes that this position, unlike front-to-front or back-to-back, is a way of communicating on equal terms. Like the breathing, that facilitates a deeper parent-child connection.
As someone interested in our connection to our inner/highest self, I was particularly taken by The Boy Who Searched for Silence. What inspired that story?
Andrew: I wrote that right after I attended a 4-day silent meditation retreat. They didn’t let us talk or write, but as soon as the silence was over I wrote it in 5 minutes. It’s fair to say that I am like the lead character in the story, who sometimes forgets that silence comes from connecting to the still place inside yourself and has little to do with how much noise is around. All of these books provide a reminder for truths we all already know. Anytime we turn inward and connect with the silence, we’re nourishing ourselves.
Why do you end each book with a brief activity the child can do before sleep, such as a short body scan or a little gratitude practice?
Andrew: I see these books as a way of making some of the more sophisticated spiritual truths accessible in an easy way. Appreciating the good things that happened in your day as well as the people who helped you get through the not-such-good things is very powerful. The body scan is also physically relaxing, which helps the child fall asleep. And it follows a story about the body: an elephant who negatively compares her body to other animals until she realizes she has unique features she should embrace. The struggle to not compare your body to others is one I personally know well, since I was very overweight as a kid.
Are these books for people of a particular religion?
Andrew: People from any religion—or no religion—can appreciate these books. It’s about the reality of what it means to be human. I believe that what we would call “confident” is our natural state of being, and it comes most naturally when we’re connected to our inner selves.
Will there be more books in the series? I certainly hope so!
Andrew: A total of 12 books are already written. Three are currently published and the fourth, The Hug Who Got Stuck, just completed a successful Kickstarter campaign and will be out in March. That one is about a little hug trying to get out of a hug factory in the center of the heart, who gets stuck in the web of sticky thoughts. We plan to release the others a few months after that.
Good luck with them. Here’s to peaceful and uplifting bedtimes for families everywhere!
Find the conscious bedtime stories at ConsciousStories.com.
Meryl Davids Landau is the author of the new book, Enlightened Parenting: A Mom Reflects on Living Spiritually With Kids.