Best this month Inside Out
Many of us are unable to read our feelings, manage our
emotions or create emotionally rich intimate relation- ships. Help is here—not in a best-selling book, an intensive therapy program or an expensive spiritual retreat, but in Pixar’s 15th animated feature film. In the opening scene this question
is asked: “Do you ever look at someone and wonder what is going on inside their head?” We get some answers through the story of Riley, an 11-year- old who has just moved from Minne- apolis to San Francisco. A lot is going on in her head, where five personified emotions are at work: Joy, Sadness, Fear, Anger and Disgust. Joy is trying
Anger (left) Disgust, Joy, Fear and Sadness from Inside Out.
hard to keep Riley happy, gathering up core memories to support her inner islands of honesty, family, hockey, goofi- ness and friendship. But with such a major change in her life, all of Riley’s repressed emotions get more attention. Will she ever be happy in her new home? Yes, but it will take an alli- ance between Joy and Sadness. This is a uni- versal and profoundly spi r i tual mes sage (Disney Pixar, PG— mi ld thematic ele- ments and some action).
The Spiritual Child Lisa Miller, a professor
Flowers Are Calling This picture book, designed for 4- to 8-year-olds,
teaches about interdependence in the natural world. Through beautiful illustrations by Kenard Pak, Rita Gray explains how flowers need pollinators to flour- ish, and pollinators need flowers for nourishment. The flowers call out to butterflies, bumblebees, humming- birds, beetles, honeybees, wasps, moths and nectar bats, which all have a role in the pollination of flowers. A few other animals—bears, frogs, porcupines, blue jays, moose, rabbits, snakes, raccoons and deer—live around flowers, but they aren’t pollinators. Children reading this book are invited to look at
flower colors, patterns, shapes and times of opening. A “Would You Believe” page includes more information on pollinators and suggests that you enter your ZIP code at
www.pollinator.org/guides to find out how to attract them in your area (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt,
www.hmhco.com).
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www.thelutheran.org
of psychology and educa- tion, is the director of the Spirituality Mind Body Institute in New York. She defines spirituality as “an inner sense of relationship to a higher power that is loving and guiding.” In this wise and practical
book, she notes that chil- dren are inherently spiritual and filled with wonder and curiosity about themselves and the world. Teens bring a surge in spiritual capacity, ask important questions and explore relationships. Conscientious spiritual parenting helps youth enrich and deepen their experiences. Miller covers spiritual strengths and addresses the
Author bio:
The Brussats publish the website www.SpiritualityandPractice. com where you can find more information about the items reviewed in this column.
problems of substance abuse and depression. She then presents seven strategies to encourage both children’s and teenager’s spiritual growth: use spiritual language daily, share spiritual experiences, meet them where they are, build a spiritual practice together, embrace relationships with animals and nature, tend the field of love and strive for an inspired life (St. Martin’s Press,
http://us.macmillan. com/smp).
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