As we begin a new week I wanted to share a children’s book my family is reading as part of our 30 minute reading challenge. The book is called Bloom the Brave Fairy: A Little Fairy With a Big Lesson About Being Brave and it is part of a series of children’s books.

I don’t know about for you but for me there are some children’s books that you read and think, “That was a sweet story.” Then there are books that make you stop for a minute because somewhere between the first page and the last, you realize the lesson isn’t just for the child sitting beside you.

Bloom the Brave Fairy: A Mindful Fairy Tale from The Enchanted Forest by Jackie Gill is one of those books for me. I was expecting a beautiful fairy tale, and I certainly got that.

But I also found a story about fear, anxiety, big feelings, breathing, mindfulness, and learning that being brave doesn’t mean you never feel afraid. Because even as a adult there has been times when I’ve been afraid and I wanted to remind you sometime being brave begins with simply taking a breath.

Thu Author has brought us beautiful writing and stunning illustrations that took my breathe away, making this story feel like a warm hug on a crips Fallk day—with a little bit of magic for readers of all ages.

Disclosure: GreatfulMoments.com received a copy of Bloom the Brave Fairy in exchange for an honest review. This post contains an affiliate link, which means I may earn a small commission if you make a purchase through the link, at no additional cost to you.

Bloom is a young fairy living in the Enchanted Forest, but even though she lives in a place filled with magic, she still has something that weighs heavily on her little wings. Fear.

Her fears can keep her from doing things she wants to do and from joining in with the other fairies. Eventually, Bloom meets a wise elder fairy who helps her discover that she has more courage inside her than she realized.

I loved that Bloom doesn’t simply wake up one morning and decide she isn’t afraid anymore. Instead, she learns. She practices. She breathes. And little by little, she begins to discover that she can face what scares her.

That is such an important distinction for children because being brave doesn’t mean that fear disappears. Sometimes bravery means learning what to do when fear shows up.

One of the things I loved most about this book was the way Jackie Gill introduces mindfulness and meditation in a way children can actually understand.

There isn’t a complicated explanation that makes a child feel as though they’re sitting through a lesson. Instead, the ideas are part of Bloom’s story. And one of the things introduced is belly breathing.

I’ll be honest with you: I had never really heard of belly breathing which became a #teachingmoment for my family once we finished the book and I was able to share it with David and Charlie.

That surprised me because here I was, reading a children’s book, and I was learning something along with the child who might be reading it. I also loved the idea that meditation is a practice that we build slowly rather than something we are simply expected to know how to do.

The approach encourages starting small, with a minute, and gradually building toward longer periods of meditation over the course of 30 days. That makes sense to me.

We don’t learn everything at once. We practice. We start with one minute. Then we try another. Eventually, something that once seemed difficult becomes familiar. And I think that’s a beautiful lesson to give a child.

I also love how the Author reminds us children aren’t the only ones With big feelings which is probably where Bloom the Brave Fairy surprised me the most.

Yes, it is a children’s book. Yes, it is written in a way that makes the story accessible to younger children. But the feelings inside this book don’t belong exclusively to children.

I’ve had two children who are as different as night and day, but they have had something important in common. Both have been shy and a little anxious, and both have dealt with ADHD, depression, and bullying.

As a mother, I’ve watched my children work through difficult emotions and difficult experiences. And the older I get, the more I understand that growing up doesn’t mean we stop having big feelings. Adults have them, too.

I’ve been experiencing panic attacks lately, and while I’m not suggesting that this children’s book is medical treatment or that it replaces professional care, reading Bloom the Brave Fairy reminded me that adults can also need to stop, breathe, and give themselves a moment.

Sometimes we forget that because we spend so much time teaching children how to recognize their feelings and take care of themselves that we forget grown-ups need reminders, too. That is one of the unexpected gifts I took away from this little book.

My family loved the illustrations. Bloom reminded me of Tinker Bell, and I found myself thinking that I would have loved to have her as a friend. Not just when I was a little girl, either.

I would have loved having Bloom as a friend as an adult. Even Charlie thought it would have been fun to have Bloom as one of his friends although she is a G I R L he said she didn’t have COOTIES.. LOL

For me there is something special about a children’s book when the characters become more than characters. They become someone you want to know.

Someone you want to root for. Someone you wouldn’t mind sitting down beside while you talk about life. That’s how Bloom and this amazing book felt to us.

When I first hear about Bloom the Brave Fairy, I didn’t know this was the first book in the Enchanted Forest series. Now there are more fairies waiting for us.

Jackie Gill has continued the series with Winnie the Wise Fairy and Puck the Playful Fairy, and I am hoping to receive physical copies of those books so that I can continue reading my way through the Enchanted Forest.

Winnie has her own story about big emotions and impulsive choices. Through gentle yoga poses and belly breathing, she learns how to create space between a big feeling and her response.

Then there is Puck, who is full of energy and finds it difficult to stay focused when things become slow or repetitive. His story introduces mindfulness in a playful way that helps him learn to stay present while working with all that wonderful energy.

I love that Jackie isn’t trying to tell every child the exact same story. Instead, she is creating different characters who experience different challenges. That gives children the opportunity to see themselves in the stories. And sometimes seeing ourselves in a story is the first step toward understanding ourselves a little better.

As I was reading Bloom the Brave Fairy, I kept thinking about all the places this book could fit into our GreatfulMoments.com coverage. Of course, I can see it in our Christmas Gift Guide.

I can see it as a back-to-school gift guide because starting school, changing classrooms, meeting new teachers, making friends, and adjusting to a new routine can bring a whole lot of emotions along with the excitement.

I can see it as an end-of-summer recommendation for families preparing to make that transition from summer back into schedules and routines which can be scary.

And then I started thinking about Halloween. Because Halloween isn’t exciting for every child in exactly the same way. For some children, costumes and trick-or-treating are the greatest adventure of the year.

For another child, the dark, strange decorations, crowds, loud noises, unfamiliar houses, and spooky costumes might be a little overwhelming. That’s why I could absolutely see a family putting Bloom the Brave Fairy in their bag before they leave home to go trick-or-treating.

Maybe you won’t need it. But if your little one gets overwhelmed, you already have a familiar story and a simple breathing practice with you. And that’s the kind of practical magic I love.

I don’t want anyone to misunderstand me. I’m not saying that Bloom the Brave Fairy is a treatment for anxiety, depression, panic attacks, ADHD, or any other condition. It isn’t.

What I’m saying is that the story gives families an opportunity to talk about feelings. It gives children language for experiences that can sometimes be difficult to explain. It introduces breathing and mindfulness in a gentle, approachable way.

And it reminds both children and grown-ups that when a feeling becomes big, sometimes we can stop for a moment and breathe. That is a lesson worth sharing. And I think adults can learn from it just as much as children can.

I finished Bloom the Brave Fairy feeling like I had met a little fairy I would have liked to know when I was young. But I also finished it feeling like I had been reminded of something important as an adult.

We don’t have to stop being afraid before we can be brave. We don’t have to have everything figured out before we take the next step. Sometimes we can simply start with one breath.

Bloom taught me that. And now I’m looking forward to meeting Winnie and Puck and discovering what those two fairies have to teach us. Who should have been part of my family as well.

For our family, Bloom the Brave Fairy became much more than a children’s bedtime story. It became a conversation about fear, courage, breathing, mindfulness, and those big feelings that every one of us—children and adults alike—will experience at some point in our lives.

And perhaps that’s the real magic of the Enchanted Forest. You may open the book because your child wants a fairy tale. You may close it having learned something about yourself.

If you’re looking for a beautiful story to share with a child who is learning about fear, courage, big feelings, and mindfulness, I think Bloom is a fairy worth meeting.

About the Book

Bloom the Brave Fairy: A Mindful Fairy Tale from The Enchanted Forest is the first book in Jackie Gill’s Mindful Fairy Tales from The Enchanted Forest series.

The story follows Bloom, a young fairy whose fear feels much bigger than her tiny wings. Through her encounter with a wise elder fairy, Bloom discovers mindfulness, meditation, breath, and stillness as she learns to face her fears and find courage within herself.

The beautifully illustrated story is designed for young readers and introduces mindfulness and emotional awareness through an engaging fairy tale.

The Enchanted Forest has since expanded to include Winnie the Wise Fairy and Puck the Playful Fairy, giving children and families additional stories centered around different emotional skills.

The books are also accompanied by online videos and lessons that give parents, caregivers, and educators opportunities to continue exploring the concepts introduced in the stories.

Meet the Author: Jackie Gill

Jackie Gill is a children’s author and mindfulness educator who blends neuroscience, somatic practice, and fairy-tale magic to help children and their grown-ups navigate big emotions with confidence.

With a background in teaching, children’s yoga, and fifteen years of mindfulness-based movement work as a personal trainer, Jackie brings together breath, movement, and wonder to help children understand their emotions and develop tools for navigating big feelings.

Bloom the Brave Fairy is Jackie’s debut picture book and was inspired by her daughters and her belief that when we connect with our brave, authentic light within, we can shine it brightly for the world to see.

Jackie is continuing to expand the world of The Enchanted Forest, creating a growing ecosystem of books, videos, characters, and mindful adventures for children and families.

Her work centers around helping little humans feel big feelings with bravery, breath, and a touch of fairy dust.

Bloom, we’ll see you again soon.

And Winnie and Puck, we’re coming to meet you next.

Disclosure: GreatfulMoments.com received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. This post contains an affiliate link. No additional compensation was received for this review, and all opinions expressed are my own.

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Thank you,

Glenda, Charlie and David Cates