Based on yoga techniques, this picture book will be a wonderful resource for helping children relax both in a school situation and at home. In an excellent chapter at the beginning for parents and teachers, the techniques are introduced and explained, and at the end, a detailed script is given for use at home or in school. In between is the real 'story', and wonderful it is! The illustrations of four anxious friends and the little Ladybird who helps them are wonderfully drawn, full of life and colour and add a great deal to a lively text. The four little animals have problems: Frog is anxious because he has too much on his plate and is afraid he will never get it all done; Flamingo is upset because she is bullied at school because she is 'pink in places'; Dog can't write stories, even though he tries; and Dragon is sad because his granddad has died. Ladybird listens to their problems sympathetically and then suggests she might be able to help. They all think this means she will solve their difficulties for them, but she explains that wouldn't help them ultimately at all. What she is going to do is give them a gift: 'Costs not a penny Can go any place Weighs not a sausage Takes up no space Helps you respect you Be brave, wise and strong Ladybird's Remarkable Relaxation Whatever comes along.' Dog volunteers to be the first one to try, and as he lies flat on a purple mat (magiced from under a tree), Ladybird lands gently on different parts of his body, and he must lie very still to be able to feel her touch. Soon they are all doing it and finding that while they are relaxed they are able to come up with some ways of helping solve their problems. Three weeks later, when they all meet again, they are well on their way to being happier and easier in themselves. Relaxation is an important skill to be able to call up when needed, and I feel sure that the little Ladybird and her friends will go a long way to helping children do just that. Available from Amazon, from good book shops, and from the publisher, www.jkp.com.