$17.95
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Description
Share love with yourself, your people, and the world (alongside fun sloths) in this big-hearted bedtime meditation for children.
As the day comes to a close, Goodnight Love helps children (ages 2–5) connect to the warmth of their hearts through the power of lovingkindness. We foster self-compassion by sending care to ourselves. We share kindness by wishing good things for our families and friends. And we cultivate unconditional love by radiating the wish for happiness and peace on Earth.
Goodnight Love brings the heart-based practice of lovingkindness (metta) into the ritual of bedtime, with adorable sloth characters that kids will delight in practicing beside. The beautiful, richly colored art portrays a caregiver sloth guiding a young sloth through this relaxing evening meditation, helping children slip into slumber with a heart filled with kindness.
About the Author
SUMI LOUNDON KIM is the Buddhist chaplain at Yale University and founder of the Mindful Families of Durham. She is editor of the anthologies Blue Jean Buddha and The Buddha’s Apprentices, and the author of Sitting Together: A Family-Centered Curriculum on Mindfulness, Meditation, and Buddhist Teachings.
LAURA WATKINS has a great passion and love for stories. As a child, Laura was always drawing. Often she would run out of sheeted paper and resort to drawing upon huge rolls of wallpaper. Nowadays Laura happily draws from her floating studio, onboard a houseboat she has half repaired.
Praise For…
“Prepare for bedtime with soothing meditative rituals. Gentle, reassuring, and just the thing to lull children into sweet slumber.”—Kirkus Reviews
“Beginning with two deep belly breaths and a visualization of warm light radiating out from their hearts, a big and little sloth move through a series of three contemplative phrases (“May I be healthy./ May I be safe and protected./ May I be happy and peaceful”), variations on which they apply to self, family, friends, forests, mountains, oceans, the universe, and the world before snuggling down. Soft-edged illustrations from Watkins soothe with starry purple skies, luminous rainforest views, and scenes of the natural world crowded with friendly smiling faces. Throughout, Loundon Kim’s light-handed prompts encourage interactivity (“How were you kind today?”), reinforcing the teachable aspects of this contemplative bedtime routine.”—Publishers Weekly
“This all-encompassing bedtime meditation follows two sloths as they ground themselves in a reflection of our capacity to love deeply. Their practice begins by focusing inward with self-compassion before offering compassion toward the animals, natural landscapes, and the universe beyond. By the end of the book, both parents and children will be left feeling safe, happy, loved, and ready to sleep.”—Tricycle: The Buddhist Review
“I cannot imagine a better story-time ritual for closing the day to help ensure a happy, peaceful sleep and steadiness of heart and mind.”—Lion’s Roar
“Goodnight Love by Sumi Loundon Kim is a sweet bedtime (or anytime!) book to share with our children. What better way to close out the day than sharing love and kindness with those around us. The illustrations are beautiful and engaging. I can see this book on nightstands to be read over and over again.”—Sharon Salzberg, author of Real Change
“The evidence shows this practice can make all of us, including kids and parents, happier, healthier, and nicer. This book is a great way to catalyze that change. Check it out.”—Dan Harris, author of 10% Happier
“Cultivating the capacity for love in our children must be a priority for every parent. Every child is born with a natural spirituality—able to feel and share love—but it must be embraced and nurtured. Rev. Sumi Loundon Kim helps to engage the child's innate capacity for love, so that the path to love is paved in the decades ahead. Reading Goodnight Love is a beautiful way for parents to share in the child's natural love and evermore strengthen the natural love in the parent-child bond.”—Lisa Miller, PhD, New York Times Bestselling author of The Spiritual Child
“Sumi Loundon Kim’s delightful bedtime story is the perfect way for parents and children to end each day by wishing love and kindness to themselves, each other, and the world. With Sumi’s lifetime of experience bringing meditation to families, I can’t think of anyone better to write this book! It’s a must for every parent’s bookshelf.”—Susan Kaiser Greenland, author of Mindful Games and The Mindful Child
“What might a child want at bedtime? To feel safe, happy, and loved—just like Goodnight Love helps us all feel in this wonderful meditation storybook!”—Dr. Christopher Willard, author of The Life of a Crayon
“Goodnight Love is a delight! The spirit of lovingkindness is conveyed brilliantly to the youngest children through this beautifully illustrated bedtime story. Despite being an adult, I was equally affected by this gem—I was filled with joy and love and ready for bed!”—Diana Winston, Director of Mindfulness Education at UCLA Mindful Awareness Research Center and author of Wide Awake: A Buddhist Guide for Teens
“This book is exquisitely beautiful! It shows adults and children how to connect with the heart so that love and friendliness can grow and extend to oneself and all others. I know the wisdom and love it contains will help many people—of all ages.”—Kaira Jewel Lingo, author of We Were Made for These Times
“We started reading Goodnight Love nightly when my daughter's anxiety about sleep peaked. It has been a balm. Reading the book has the same effect as a guided meditation and helps her to relax into sleep. I really like the practice of blessing our loved ones and the natural world with lovingkindness; it is such a peaceful way to end our bedtime routine. I also love the book's illustrations—the sweet animals are delightful.”—Christine, parent
“My two grandchildren, who usually stay up until late at night, were peacefully asleep by 8:30 pm after the first reading of Goodnight Love. The next day, my grandson sweetly asked if I would like him to send me his love.”—Jan, grandmother
“I like the part about helping the animals that are hurt because I think it’s kind.”—Sofia, age 6 and a half
“I like the sloths and the sparkles.”—Leo, age 3 and a half