April 22, 2024
In this heartwarming children's book, a gorilla named Chilla guides his anxious lemur friend Lanky toward centering emotions, focusing on what he’s feeling, and remembering that feelings come and go, but the heart holds “a calm place where peace and love can grow.” Through multiple adventures on their journey through a lushly drawn jungle, Lanky grapples with handling fear, anger, and frustration, all with his wise friend, Chilla, by his side. Sharing his affirming mantra, Chilla helps Lanky regulate his emotions and find a coping mechanism whenever he begins to feel his feelings taking over as the two friends find time to play, eat delicious jungle fruits, and wind down after a busy day.
Donald Wu’s junglescapes are stunning, inviting readers to pore over the vital detail, and the characters are endearing, relatable, and expressive, matching a story that focuses on friendship, interactions with peers, and emotions that sometimes feel hard to deal with. Young readers will find that Chilla Gorilla lives up to the name. He’s a steady, soothing companion and mentor to Lanky Lemur, making the case that when you’re restless it’s a good idea to “let the sillies out”—and when one is scared, remember that being scared is okay but reach out to someone you trust. From Chilla, these life lessons are gentle but striking, a touching example of supportive friendship.
The adventure builds to an ending that reflects the way readers may often use this book—with warm words at tuck-in time, as Chilla introduces a meditative calming technique to help Lanky drift into peaceful sleep. (Backmatter includes a more thorough introduction to “HeartAlign Meditation.”) With the nurturing and tranquil energy given off by Chilla and the lessons he imparts, young readers will take away a firm understanding of their emotions and the guidance to look no further than their own heart—and a trusted friend or mentor—when handling their intensity.
Takeaway: Soothing, gorgeous adventure story of finding calmness and handling feelings.
Comparable Titles: Britney Winn Lee's The Boy with Big, Big Feelings, Mike Wohnoutka's Ups and Downs.
Production grades
Cover: A
Design and typography: A
Illustrations: A
Editing: A
Marketing copy: A
May 1, 2024
Snyder and Bier's jungle animals practice emotional intelligence in this picture book. Lanky Lemur, who sometimes feels like his emotions overwhelm him, can't relax like his wise friend Chilla Gorilla. Chilla explains that thoughts and feelings are connected, and he teaches Lanky a helpful mantra: "Feelings come and go, yet in your heart is a calm place where peace and love can grow." For the rest of the day, each time Lanky gets mad, frustrated, or scared, he repeats Chilla's mantra, and slowly but surely Lanky truly feels the calming effect of observing his feelings, listening to his heart, and soothing himself. Wu's cartoonish animal characters offer multicolored detail, including the cast's facial expressions and body language against the bright greens and yellows of the jungle. The prose plays with subtle rhyme and rhythm, particularly in Chilla's dialogue, which evokes a steady heartbeat: "It's OK to be scared. Call out for someone you trust and love, and ask for a hug." The authors ably depict how children can regulate their emotions through the various relatable examples. The two characters have their own distinct voices, creating a fun dynamic and driving the pace of the story: Lanky speeds things up, and Chilla levels things out. A charming jungle adventure about finding inner peace.
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