In today’s ever-changing world, everyone needs a boost of positivity and happiness every now and then, and Sue Tobert‘s book Happi’s World does exactly that for people of all ages. What makes it unique is that it is a 3-in-1 book that combines three very well-known activities: coloring mandalas, word searches, and yoga. Whether it is a child or adult doing the activities of the book, it is designed to evoke a sense of relaxation and improve one’s overall sense of well-being.
The book’s main character is an adorable lemur named Happi. Happi does yoga to help him stay calm and strong. In the book, he imagines places that bring him happiness. That’s how the book got its title Happi’s World.
People of all ages will enjoy doing a variety of basic yoga poses, searching for words and Happi in his poses that are hidden in original themed mandalas. In addition, at the end of the book, there are interesting and fun facts about ring-tailed lemurs, which are classified as endangered species.
After a 33-year teaching career, Sue is now retired. However, her creativity and commitment to impacting the lives of struggling learners continued as she created her own non-traditional tutoring business for struggling elementary students called Yogademics (www.yogademics.com), which combines her teaching expertise and knowledge of kids’ yoga. During COVID, she thought about the positive effects of yoga and mandala coloring on children’s social, emotional, and physical development. This inspired her to create Happi’s World.
Happi’s World is a unique activity book that won second place in both The Moonbeam Child’s Book Award and The Purple Dragon Book Award contest for 2022. It is a great book for kids, families, teachers, occupational therapists, and anyone who likes to color.
“This fun activity book does have many benefits: it releases stress, promotes a sense of calm and relaxation, improves focus, and strengthens fine and gross motor skills in children. It’s also a great way for everyone to unplug from the electronic world of today,” Sue shared.
“I had been doing yoga myself for a while and really loved it. I started incorporating yoga poses into my teaching and using mandalas in my classroom before both became popular! All this led to me writing and winning two Hamilton Education Foundation Grants: ‘Homework Without Tears’ and ‘Yoga, It’s Elementary,’ which I presented one year at the annual NJ Teacher Convention,” Sue revealed.
Happi’s World is the perfect book for parents who want their children to have an engaging activity at home and for adults looking for a calming way to pass the time. More impressively, readers of the book do not need to have prior knowledge of yoga, as its easy and fun poses are great for anyone of any age from all walks of life.
