Monkey is in a mood. But Monkey knows what he needs to do - Monkey must meditate. Before he can, Monkey must find a place that is quiet enough and spacious enough to meditate in. MINDFUL MONKEY takes us on a journey with a very grumpy Monkey through the noisy, disruptive jungle as Monkey searches for the perfect place to meditate, a quest that leads him to find peace within himself.

A great story introducing young children to meditation and self-care. As Ashleigh says, “all too often, we look at the world around us for answers and solutions. Too much of what we don’t achieve is based on what we think we need. Imagine all that we could do and all that we could feel if we were better able to find what we need within ourselves. Let’s put a stop to the ‘monkey see, monkey do’ method of finding solutions. Let’s give children the power to find their own strengths and regulate their own emotions without the need for external factors. Let’s show them how they themselves are responsible for their own outcomes.”

Ashleigh Heyns is an author and illustrator. After trying many styles of art to create her illustrations, Ashleigh decided paper collage was the medium for her, which, although the messiest and most demanding of the styles is definitely the most fun! Ashleigh spent twenty years teaching kindergarten and says that it was through teaching that she learned the
most. She lives in Marondera, a small town in Zimbabwe with her family, four cats and two dogs.