Review Detail

Puppy in My Head: A Book About Mindfulness

Kids Nonfiction 864

Mindfulness for Young Readers

February 06, 2022 (Updated: June 07, 2026)

Overall rating

3.7

Writing Style

4.0

Illustrations/Photos (if applicable)

4.0

Learning Value

3.0

Gravel, author of the middle grade notebook novel Olga and the Smelly Thing from Nowhere, introduces young readers to the idea of an overstimulated brain by comparing an anxious thought process to a puppy. In this case, the puppy is named Ollie, and he is often overexcited. In order to control him, the child in the book uses breath as a magical leash, and deep breathing exercises as a way to calm the puppy down, bring him closer, and cuddle with him. Other strategies to deal with Ollie include having him engage in physical activity to burn off energy, talking about his problems, and by paying more attention to him.

Good Points

Gravel's illustrations are basic but expressive drawings with strong black borders. The backgrounds on the pages are shades of calming blues, but Ollie is bright yellow, and the red is used in many of the words and the main characters shirt, which show the energy and anxiety being felt. Young readers can take cues from Ollie's eyes as great indicators of his soul!

This book seems aimed at very young readers, most likely preschoolers, and is an interesting way to show a child how to calm down using mindfulness strategies without explaining them. I'm not familiar with a lot of other mindfulness picture books, but I imagine it is a growing category that includes books like Nance's Puppy Mind, Carle's Calm with the Very Hungry Caterpillar, and Kinder's Calm.