Leo Learns to Meditate: A Curious Kid’’s Guide to Life’’s Ups and Downs and Lots In-Between

2023 Moonbeam Children’s Book Awards Winner

A wildly engaging and imaginative story that introduces the world of meditation to kids ages 6-10 through a relatable character named Leo, who learns to cultivate relaxation, mindfulness, and lovingkindness.

Everyone in Leo’s family meditates but him--his mom, his dad, his older sister, and even his stuffed bear, Teddy! But what does it mean to ＂meditate,＂ and is it something that Leo can do too?

When Mom becomes his meditation teacher, Leo discovers that it’s about more than just sitting still. After starting to get the hang of it, he’s got to apply what he’s learned off the cushion and out in the world when a bully targets him at school and steals his piece of apple pie.

Through his experiences, Leo learns to meditate in the up times, the down times, and the in-between times. A graphic-novel illustration style gives Leo’s story a fun and easy-to-follow narrative arc. It gives parents, guardians, and teachers an opportunity to playfully introduce children to meditation and even includes a step-by-step guided practice at the end to get their kids started.

FRANCESCA HAMPTON has been a Buddhist practitioner since the ’70s and helped to establish Tibetan Buddhist centers in California. She later worked as an English language editor at the Library of Tibetan Works and Archives and spent a number of years in India and Tibet. She eventually settled into a career as an English as a Second Language and Adult Education teacher. She has authored a few self-published short stories and children’s books. Now semi-retired, she finds herself in a golden situation that allows time for meditation, writing, and photography.

JOHN LEDDA is a lifelong lover of children’s books and holds an MFA in illustration from the Academy of Art University in San Francisco. He creates charming, humorous, and heartfelt images and stories for readers of all ages and currently lives and works in the Bay Area.