This giveaway is now closed. Winner details are at the bottom of the page. Thanks for entering!
I thought this week since we are careening towards the holidays at light speed I would offer a review on one of my favorite books along with a giveaway! The book is written by Rachel Vail and it’s called Sometimes I’m Bombaloo. It is one that I use often in my yoga class for the 2-5 age group. My daughter will be three next month and it is one of her favorites.
The story is about a girl named Katie Honors who is just your average ordinary happy little girl. There are lots of things she can do and as all toddlers and preschoolers love to share she goes through some of the wonderful things she has mastered all by herself. You can feel the pride in each statement and I know it makes my children think about all the great things they have learned to do. Being proud of one’s accomplishments is something everyone should learn from an early age. Katie also talks about manners. How she knows what is right and what is wrong . Treating people kindly, being thankful, and understanding that sometimes accidents happen are all part of who Katie is.
Then there are days when none of that comes into consideration. We’ve all had them – being a foul mood for no reason (or some reason that we just aren’t aware of). Not being able to communicate effectively, being stressed about something and having it ooze out of every fiber of our being. Katie calls that being Bombaloo. She grunts, she groans, she growls, she stamps her feet and throws her toys. Sometimes she even hits. This is what happens when one is Bombaloo and it can be really scary. Katie knows when this happens she has to take a bit of time out for self-reflection, to find out why she is a Bombaloo and how she is going to stop.
These are skills that we all need to learn in life. If you have ever had to do any self-reflection your self, trying to go back and figure out what your triggers are and why they are triggers can be really challenging. This book makes kids think about these things as ordinary life experiences. They learn to acknowledge the anger and frustration that we all sometimes experience instead of pretending it isn’t there.
During Katie’s Bombaloo experience she encounters something that makes her laugh and breaks the Bombaloo energy. At this point she is ready to be sorry and take the consequences of being Bombaloo. The beautiful part is that Katie’s mom knows that being Bomabloo is scary and she isn’t made to feel bad about it – it just is what it is. I also think this piece is so super important – there is plenty of guilt in this world and we shouldn’t be passing it on to our kids. I also know that if that’s a part of how we’ve been raised it’s darn hard not to use it yourself.
So overall I think Sometimes I’m Bombaloo is an awesome book. I would highly recommend getting a copy for yourself or to give as a gift. Being able to understand the intense emotions and have words to describe it makes the emotion a whole lot less scary for all those little people in your life.
Rachel has also written a new book, Jibberwillies at Night, which I have not had the pleasure of reading yet but I am confident that it will be just as fabulous as Bombaloo. It is another story with Katie Honors and this one is about some of those fears that come out at night. If you know someone who has some fears about going to sleep in the dark – this book would be perfect.
Original Post for HealthyGreenMoms.
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Enter To Win Both Books!
Rachel has been so kind as to offer one of each of these books for me to share with you.
To Enter:
- Leave a comment here letting me know why you’d like these books and what you’d use them for.
- For a second entry, subscribe to for free updates from Healthy Green Moms OR Twitter about this giveaway. Be sure to leave another comment so I know.
Winner will be picked randomly using Random.org. You have until midnight, December 10th (PST) to enter. This contest is open to both Canadian and American residents.
Thank you to all of you for entering. A big CONGRATULATIONS to Jessica (comment # 37) We have contacted you by email 
These are my thoughts on living a healthy and simple life. I'm a modern mom with some simple ideas, a little common sense and a natural philosophy. This is the sanest way I know how to navigate the 21 century.
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My little boy is starting to understand emotions of many levels now — so these books would be perfect timing for lifetime lessons. We read everyday so fingers crossed!
That sounds really neat!! My daughter loves to “be” the character in the different books we read, and I think this will really help her as well!!
added RSS to my Google page too
What an awesome site!!
these look great for my kids, but look too nice to keep a secret, there is a library for parenting here and this would be great for them
My daughter started baby yoga when she was 5 months old and not can’t get enough of it at 19 months old! I would enjoy sharing this book with her since she seems mature enough already to handle the content! Thanks!
Sarahs last blog post..My Saturday Tradition
I would donate these to the local library.
youngest would love this
These sound like great jumping off places for discussions about emotional expression.
I would read them with my kids.
Cool book give-away! Sign my children up
My son is a Bombaloo sometimes even though he is past the 2-5 age. I like that in the book she takes “a bit of time out for self-reflection, to find out why she is a Bombaloo and how she is going to stop.” I would love for my son to learn to do that.
I’d use them with my kids who already exercise with me.
I would share them with my daughter who is six. We are working on building her self esteem through discovering things she likes about herself and things that she can do on her own. There are days when she is completely Bombaloo and I think knowing that she is normal and not alone would help her.
She also tells me that she often has bad dreams. We try many techniques to chase the baddies away and bring light and happy thoughts to her sleep.
Regardless, I would buy these books. They sound fabulous!
I’d love to win because my husband and I practice mindfulness and have been involved with Zen meditation groups (and yoga too, for me). Our 8 month old son is quite a firecracker already, so I’m sure we’ll be working on mindfulness training with him. These books would be a great help, and also a nice way to introduce him to some of our philosophical beliefs.
I subscribe too
I would give them to my grandkids. We can always use good books
I would love to win this to read to my 3 children. Thank you
tatertot374@sbcglobal.net
i would love to read the book with my daughter, it sounds really interesting!
Junction Mamas last blog post..My baby is a tyrant, but a very cute one
my grandchildren would learn while having fin.
Would love to win this for my Daughter who is just learning how to read. These would be awesome additions to her library!
I like books for kids that are fun but still have a good message to them! This would be a nice book for my nephew.
to teach my grandson
My nephew has a speech disorder so I think these books would be great for him. THank you.
My son has been Bombaloo quite a bit lately. I think these books would be a fun way to help us communicate about some of those tough feelings preschoolers have!
I think Bombaloo sounds fabulous and would be a great addition to our library to help J learn about emotions and how to deal with them. We have a friend whose tot is afraid of the dark/sleeping right now, so the Jibberwillies book would be perfect as a gift. We don’t have trouble in that area w/J, thank goodness!
Thanks for the chance to enter!
PsychMammas last blog post..Funny
I babysat my two year old granddaughter and she went Bombaloo on me. I think reading this book to her would help her understand her emotions!
wow thay sound like thay are some good books i love to win them so i can read them to my kid thanks
jennifer bowens last blog post..O come E all fathfull let’s us injoy the events and stuff here on line 12-6-08
This book sounds great. My son will be two in December, right after Christmas. And as he’s learning about his emotions and feelings I often find myself reflecting on what I’ve learned about mine. And how I often have Bombaloo days. I hope to help my son have fewer of them as he grows simply by helping him learn more self-awareness than I have. And I would share them with his playgroup.
I’d like these books because it would help my daughter “learn to acknowledge the anger and frustration that we all sometimes experience instead of pretending it isn’t there.” She has had difficulty handling her emotions when frustrated and things don’t go her way – these books could help her
love to read books to the grandchildren
We’re always looking to add to the book supply for the kids. We have a lot of classic storybooks but I think these books on emotions & self-awareness would be a step in a new direction.
I would read them to my son! Thanks for the chance! justicecw@hotmail.com
I just subscribed!
justicecw@hotmail.com
They are something great to learn about.. I would love to win them for my son
I’d use them as a bedtime story/teaching tool for my toddler.
I like these books because they are creative, and I love to see my children read. I would share them with my son, who is 5 and is now reading.
I have FIVE kids and we are always looking for books to add into our daily story time rituals, anything that helps build confidence or inspires the kids to be the best they can be is always popular with this Mama!
I think kids definitely learn through reading. They relate to the characters when they’re little people like them. It speaks to their level of understanding and I would love to share these with the kids.
I subscribed to your update list.
Elizabeth M.s last blog post..What’s Your Elf Name?
I’d like these for when my grandchildren come visit
I’m a subscriber
I would like to give these books to my grandson.
I’d like to read these books to help raise my own personal awareness of issues. And, I’d give (read and reread) these books to my children to help them learn healthy ways to understand and deal with their emotions and self image. And, THANK YOU for reviewing and introducing me to Sometimes I’m Bombaloo!
I think my grandkids could learn some valuable lessons from these books.
Tweet! I twittered the contest. These books sound very worthwhile.
(slmiresse)
My grandkids would lov ethis prize.
I would love to win these books for my granddaughter. She would have fun reading them while learning about why she reacts to situations. She would learn how to react positively instead of being n
I’d love to win these books. I’d read them to my daughter when she’s having a bad day.
My young sisters would love them
)))) !
Thanks for the giveaway… !
i think my niece would love this
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