Midwest Book Review
Cats are so successful with relaxation that Colorado therapist Mary Williams is teaching their techniques to kids! Williams has adapted nine “cat secrets” for keeping cool and calm (learned from the “nine lives”, of course). A long-time cat lover herself, she knows that kids and animals are a natural match, and cats have stress-management down to a science. From relaxation procedures (Catnaps) to assertiveness (Meowing), cats set positive examples for kids to follow. Whether its smile and be friendly (Purr, Purr) or trying again and again until you succeed, Williams believes cats are excellent teachers, and she interprets their natural techniques to help kids develop life-long skills for relaxation and stress reduction. Cool Cats, Calm Kids offers practical exercises for today’s kids in an easy-to-use format, with help from beautiful drawings of cats and kids by noted book illustrator Diane O’Quinn Burke. Cool Cats, Calm Kids also contains an “Adult Purr-spective” section for parents, teachers and counselors. Cool Cats, Calm Kids is “must” reading for anyone with a cat and a kid — or just a cat and themselves!

My Review:
Cool Cats, Calm Kids is an easy-to-read book for young children, and a great discussion starter for families! I recommend it for children who admire animals and need some new ideas about how to manage stress. Parents that find it challenging talking about stress with their children also tell me this book is an excellent prompt. One parent told me “It made us laugh as we read it, and when we noticed stress during the day we had fun acting like cats”. If you are looking for a non-clinical book to share with your child and some humorous (and helpful!) advice to manage stress, this is the book for you!

This title is available for purchase from Amazon through the books section here on EasingAnxiety.com. Please send me your feedback if you read this book. Thank you!