I Am Thinking My Life

by Allysun Atwater, Stevie Lewis (Illustrator)

Overview

I am the architect of my dreams.

I am sculpting my world. I am clay. I am motion. I am light. I am what I think.

Bursting with imagination, this ode to positive thought demonstrates a young girl’s ability to use the power of her mind to transform her world. (Ages 3–7)

I Am Thinking My Life illustrates how the power of positive thinking can be the secret to manifesting hopes and dreams over time.

An imaginative little girl thinks inspired thoughts, envisions positive actions, and engages in creative activities as she unveils the secret connection between her thoughts, dreams, and actions. Her visions of her future unfold in brilliant, heartwarming illustrations.

A child’s first person look at manifestation, affirmations, and the law of attraction, this encouraging picture book will help children build confidence and self-esteem, while still acknowledging that there will be obstacles and storms in life that must be weathered. 

Filled with positive affirmations and an encouraging message about the role positivity and mindfulness play in bringing hopes and dreams to fruition, I Am Thinking My Life makes a wonderful gift, and will appeal to children and adults alike.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781611808971
Publisher:	Shambhala
Publication date:	02/15/2022
Pages:	32
Sales rank:	1,033,000
Product dimensions:	9.40(w) x 11.50(h) x 0.50(d)
Age Range:	3 - 7 Years

About the Author

ALLYSUN ATWATER is an educator, author, and a non-practicing attorney. Allysun grew up in Odessa, Texas, where she was a quintessential eighties latchkey kid and an avid reader with an insatiable love of the library. Allysun is a graduate of Southern Methodist University (SMU) with a bachelor’s degree in English, and Stanford University with a master’s degree in education and a juris doctorate. She has been a decades long practitioner of mindfulness and meditation, which have been key components in her chronic illness recovery plan. Allysun lives in the Houston area with her husband, twin daughters, and two shih tzus.

STEVIE LEWIS is an illustrator, avid hiker, and rock climber.  After working for several years in animation she now illustrates children's books. She currently resides in Flagstaff, Arizona where she lives with her partner and two little dogs. For part of the year, Stevie Lewis travels out of her van, furthering her passion for art and the outdoors.

Her latest illustrated work includes Moon! Earth's Best Friend by Stacy McAnulty, Where is our Library? by Josh Funk, and the upcoming books Tale of the Shadow King by Daniel Haack and  Fatima’s Great Outdoors by Ambreen Tariq.

Editorial Reviews

03/14/2022

A child ponders the connection between thought and action in this meditative book by Atwater, which uses incantatory phrasing to express empowerment: “I think myself smiling. I see myself smiling. I am smiling.” Lewis’s stylish digital illustrations smoothly mix fantasy and reality, showing the brown-skinned child first drawing a house and then directing a crew of teddy bears in its construction. An element of emotional truth is introduced when the youth encounters storms, providing an opportunity for the persevering protagonist to discover a reservoir of inner strength that generates even more expansive dreams: “I can think anything!” Later shifting to affirmations of character traits (“I am powerful. I am radiant”), the book builds to a beatific suggestion of future possibilities. An author’s note concludes. Ages 3–7. (Feb.)

Publishers Weekly

In her debut picture book, Atwater creates an empowering look at imagining the life you want to live. Through the pages, readers see a beautiful Black girl with large eyes and beads adorning her locs. The story is well-suited for read-alouds where connections can be drawn and independent context provided. A welcome addition to early elementary and public libraries.”—School Library Journal

“I Am Thinking My Life is a solid affirmation of the steps that any reader might take positively to affect their own world view.”—Shelf Awareness

“A child ponders the connection between thought and action in this meditative book by Atwater, which uses incantatory phrasing to express empowerment: ‘I think myself smiling. I see myself smiling. I am smiling.’ Later shifting to affirmations of character traits (‘I am powerful. I am radiant’), the book builds to a beatific suggestion of future possibilities.”—Publishers Weekly

“Encouragement for mindfully creating the life you wish to live.”—Spirituality & Practice

“With its theme of using our minds and imaginations to improve our lives (whatever our circumstances might be), I Am Thinking My Life is a welcome and recommended addition to family, daycare center, preschool, elementary school, and community library Self-Esteem, Values, and Life Skills picture book collections.”—Midwest Book Review

From the Publisher

01/01/2022

PreS-Gr 1—In her debut picture book, Atwater creates an empowering look at imagining the life you want to live. Through the pages, readers see a beautiful Black girl with large eyes and beads adorning her locs. The story follows her through her daily life of playing outside with blocks and other toys, eating dinner with her family, and getting ready for bed. She constantly creates and imagines her make-believe world and her place in it. Though the text is very sparse, with one to two sentences per page, Atwater and Lewis build emotion over the course of the story that will have readers cheering for the heroine. Lewis's contemporary cartoon-style illustrations are full of joy in vivid colors. Challenges in the book are framed as storms, which are visually appealing. The story is well-suited for read-alouds where connections can be drawn and independent context provided. An author's note concludes the book and shares Atwater's own struggles in envisioning and building her life. VERDICT A welcome addition to early elementary and public libraries where Kobi Yamada and Peter H. Reynolds's work circulates well.—Monisha Blair

School Library Journal