Title: Chill
Author: Carol Thompson
Illustrator: Carol Thompson
Publisher: Little Hare, $24.95 RRP
Format: Hard cover
ISBN: 9781921541735
For ages: Pre-school
Type: Picture book
About: Dolly the Pig and Jack the Rabbit are best friends.
They love nothing more than playing together, all day long, racing around and laughing.
One day they decide to paint portraits of each other. A brilliant idea until… ‘You’ve made me look like a lumpy pumpkin!’ says Dolly. ‘You made my ears look like slimy slugs!’ responds Jack.
And the pair storm away, never wanting to see each other again. Ever.
They spend the next little while alone, feeling angry – so angry that they might burst with all those emotions.
Then they each realise they need to just relax and breathe, and this in turn helps them remember how much they miss each other. When they meet up, they are happy friends once again.
Now that they’re… chilled.
The title of this story resounded quite strongly with me, as one of those people who needs to just ‘chill’. I remember feeling this way as a child, too – that feeling of wanting to burst with anger or frustration at other people or situations. This book would have been invaluable to me then.
The lesson about how to relax, take deep breaths and think of all the things that make you happy is an important one for all children, setting them up with that wonderful ability to control their emotions as they grow older.
This book puts all of that into a fun context, with charming sketch illustrations and likeable characters.
Chill is a beautiful story that children and adults alike will learn from.
This book is available online
