The book
Mind Garden
As You Think, So You Grow
A children’s novel for ages 9 and up by Dr. Wahed Hemati
- Sow from age
- 9
- Length
- 120 pages
- Chapters
- 12
- Illustrations
- 11
- Language
- English
From the inside
Eleven pencil drawings sit inside the book, one in every chapter but the last. Three of them:
The story
In Mind Garden, the children’s novel for ages 9 and up by Dr. Wahed Hemati, Mika is stuck. Fractions give him a stomach ache, remarks in the playground chip away at his nerve, and the outdoor camp he had counted on is slipping away. Then, in the attic, he finds his grandmother’s notebook and a few packets of flower seeds. That is where the garden starts.
With Leni, Junis and his mentor Ada, Mika tries out what happens when you stop fighting a bad thought and dig it over instead. And what becomes of a failed attempt when you compost it rather than throw it away.
The idea behind it
The idea behind Mind Garden comes from James Allen’s 1903 classic As a Man Thinketh: what you think, you become. Put into children’s terms, that is not about willpower and pulling yourself together but about an image you can handle. Thoughts are seeds. Some you water, some you pull out.
The workbook part
The book ends with four tools to use yourself: a seed diary, a weed tracker, a compost list and a watering-can routine. They are built so that a child can use them alone, and they also work in pairs.
Common questions
Which child is Mind Garden for?
For children between 9 and 12 who talk themselves down. Who would rather stop after a mistake than try again. Who lie awake because a remark from the playground will not go away. That is exactly where Mika starts.
What does the book do with negative thoughts?
It does not fight them. The novel hands children an image: a thought is a seed. Some you water, some you pull out, and a failed attempt becomes compost rather than rubbish. That is easier to hold on to than being told to think positively, and it can be picked up again at the kitchen table.
Is this a self-help book?
No, a novel. Twelve chapters of story across 120 pages, told by Mika himself. Only at the end come four worksheets. Anyone who just wants the story can turn past them.
From what age can a child read it alone?
From 9. The chapters are short enough to read one at a time, and eleven drawings break up the text. It also works for reading together well beyond that age.
Is there a German edition?
Yes, under the title Gedankengarten: So wie du denkst, so wächst du, running to 124 pages. Both editions are listed below.
Is there an audiobook?
No. There is an eBook and a paperback.
Editions
The current price is on Amazon. It changes, which is why it is not repeated here.
The eBook is included with Kindle Unlimited.