Nobody tells Bodhi to calm down.

Bodhi built the tallest tower of stones he had ever made. Then something bumped it, and down came all nine. The feeling started in his belly and went up and up until his ears were hot.

So he stomped away. Nobody chased him. Nobody called him back.

What he found instead were five friends who did not ask what was wrong and did not give him a single piece of advice. They simply kept being themselves, and Bodhi borrowed what he needed from each one.

Turtle takes his time, so Bodhi walks slow.

Monkey shakes it out, so Bodhi shakes too, and ends up laughing on the grass.

Cat naps in a square of sun, so Bodhi lies down and does nothing at all.

Crane sees far, so Bodhi stands on one leg and notices how big the afternoon is.

Puppy is sorry, and still good, which turns out to be the hardest one and the best one.

Between each friend comes a four line refrain your child will be chanting along with you by the second reading, and that you will end up using in the car.

Here is what makes this book different. Most calm down books promise that the difficult feeling goes away. This one does not. On the last page the big feeling is still there. It is just small enough to hold. That is the honest version of calming down, it is what actually happens in a small body, and it is a promise a grown-up can keep the same evening and never has to take back.

Inside the book:

A gentle read aloud of about 480 words, paced for ages 3 to 7 and tested out loud line by line.

Warm, uncluttered full color art in a cozy square format, with one spread that maps the feeling through the body from belly to hot ears.

A Note For Grown-Ups on why movement has to come before stillness, and one question you can ask your child tonight.

Three Things To Try Together, so the book turns into something you do rather than something you only read.

Buddhist in flavor and never in vocabulary.

There is a bell, a small temple, a pair of robes, a stack of stones, and five patient friends.

Book One of Little Bodhi And The Animal Sangha.