Niall Breslin – författare

Following the success of his first picture book, The Magic Moment, musician and mindfulness expert Niall Breslin (Bressie) is back with another important life lesson for young children, beautifully brought to life by illustrator Sheena Dempsey.

When Freddie sees all the presents his friend Ben gets for his birthday, he feels a bit sad …

Nana teaches Freddie how to be thankful for everything he has – together they count all the wonderful things in their lives. This gratitude trick is a helpful technique for dealing with the uncomfortable and often confusing feelings of jealousy that children inevitably encounter.

Praise for Take Five:

‘Take Five explores the difficult feeling of jealousy, in a sweet story that teaches the value of being grateful for what one has.’ Sunday Independent

‘A genuinely useful book for anxious children.’ Irish Independent

Praise for The Magic Moment:

‘The sort of book that could be genuinely helpful to an anxious child.’ The Irish Times

‘Teaches children a really simple and effective mindfulness technique for managing big feelings.’ Dr Malie Coyne

‘A book with an important message.’ Irish Independent

Bressie’s third picture book helps children manage anger when things don’t go their way.

When Sam’s mum takes her phone back, Sam begins to feel really cross …

So Grandad teaches her a breathing technique which puts out the angry flames that are making her feel hot and bothered. It really works and soon Sam is feeling much better – and enjoying a great day at the beach with her family.

The Chill Skill equips children with another really useful mindfulness tool from Bressie and is beautifully illustrated by Emma Proctor.

Praise for The Chill Skill

“Through cheerful illustrations and endearing characters, The Chill Skill introduces young readers to mindfulness practices with accessible vocabulary and a great sense of empathy.” – Children’s Books Ireland

“It is fabulous”- Maura Derrane, Today Show, RTÉ

“Featuring an engaging story and wonderful illustrations, this is a great and helpful read for little bookworms.” – Woman’s Way

Praise for previous books in Bressie’s series of mindful picture books for children, The Magic Moment and Take Five, both nominated for Irish Books Awards in the Children’s Junior category:

‘Take Five explores the difficult feeling of jealousy, in a sweet story that teaches the value of being grateful for what one has.’ Sunday Independent

‘A genuinely useful book for anxious children.’ Irish Independent

Freddie wakes up grumpy after a bad night’s sleep. Late for school, his day just seems to go from bad to worse. When Nana tries to help him at dinner time, he snaps at her.

She explains that being tired makes everything feel worse, but she knows just the trick to help him get to sleep. Tomorrow will be a better day!

In his fourth picture book, containing mindfulness tools proven to help children manage difficult feelings, musician and mindfulness expert Bressie shares another valuable lesson for children (and parents!) – all brought to life by Sheena Dempsey’s gorgeous illustrations.

Dad and Sam are walking her dog Frank in the park after school. She tells Dad about feeling busy and a bit overwhelmed and he explains that she needs to calm her mind down.

He explains that her brain is a bit like her dog, Frank: excited to explore lots of different things. Sometimes it gets too much, just like it does for Frank. When that happens, they give Frank a gentle tug on his lead to bring him back and calm him down. “That’s exactly what this breathing exercise does,” says Dad, “bring you back to yourself, making you stronger for another day!”

In his book, Niall Breslin speaks openly about living with depression and anxiety, and his crippling journey to finally acknowledging ''Jeffrey'' - the name he chose for it - years after he took the decision to conceal his growing mental health issues from the world, at age 15.Told with raw honesty, it is a story of the demons that lay beneath outward success, and how they impacted on his career in sports and later music, as he coped with a condition that at times seemed hell bent on wrecking everything in its wake. It is also the story of a road to reconciliation with brokenness - beginning after a massive panic attack before a live TV appearance in 2012 - leading to brighter horizons.Me and My Mate Jeffrey is an essential book for anyone who knows what it is to feel alone, and who doesn''t know how to ask for help - or anyone who wants to better understand that journey.