Hello, friends! Today, we read Breathe by Scott Magoon, a sweet and soothing tale of a little whale’s first day exploring the sea.

Told with meditative, minimalist text and lovely undersea art, the story of a baby beluga whale’s day unfolds. He is exploring his underwater environment on his own today, with his mother nearby to guide him if need be. The lessons he learns are pared down to simple, soothing instructions: Breathe. Swim. Play all day. Explore. Listen to the sea sing. And as his day winds down, and his mother comes to his side to help lull him to sleep, the most important lesson of all: love, and be loved.

This was a wonderfully pleasant book, and a perfect example of children’s books where less is more. Magoon’s art does the bulk of the storytelling, creating adorably sweet characters against magnificent yet tranquil backgrounds of cool blues and rich greens. The text is simple and subdued, and the overall effect creates the ideal calm for a bedtime story. The length was perfect, and JJ absolutely loved the art. This is a fantastic little story for even the youngest bookworms, and we really enjoyed it. Baby Bookworm approved!