Lucky G and the Melancholy Quokka by Amy Wilinski-Lyman {Children's Book Review}

Another fun, bright, colorful book for the littles (and their parents) to enjoy!

Disclosure: I received this book to review through Beck Valley Books, I have volunteered to share my review and all the opinions are 100% my own.

Even the happiest creature on Earth can get the sads! Lucky G makes a trip down under to help out a struggling quokka. Join them on their journey to better mental health.

Lucky G is a big bird on a big mission: To help kids cope with their mental and physical challenges.

Raves for the Raven Who is a Therapist

This book grabs you from the outset and takes you on a hopeful journey: A colorful, spunky raven (with a Ph.D.) travels to Australia to meet a quokka who has lost his true smile, finds it hard to move and isn’t hanging out with friends anymore. Dr. G knows that depression is the culprit, and extends a listening ear and helping hand, all the while reassuring the quokka that lots of adults and kids feel depression, too!

The illustrations are colorful and whimsical, and the fact that Amy takes us on a journey to Australia provides the novelty that keeps the book captivating and moving right along. I truly enjoyed reading this and I believe children with depression, and their parents, will find acknowledgment, guidance and hope in this little book. Enjoyable, informative and capable of capturing a child’s imagination. ~ Eliana Gil, Ph.D., Founder, Gil Institute for Trauma Recovery & Education, Fairfax, VA

In her latest Lucky G book installment, Wilinski-Lyman makes the concept of play therapy accessible to children and parents. Speaking from experience, and from the heart, she presents therapy as a helpful tool for kids and fights stigma against depression. Her characters are easy to relate to for children and families alike. The vivid and expressive illustrations by Leela Green make this book a visual treat for all ages. ~ Marta Manning, former president NAMI Midland, MI chapter (National Alliance on Mental Illness)

I liked the whole story. Blue was my favorite character–I would be friends with him. I liked how Blue was sad at the start and then was happy by the end. ~ Astor, 7 years old

Available to buy from…
Amazon.com Amazon.co.uk GPlay Paperback Hardback

Enjoy these beautiful excerpts…

Amy Wilinski-Lyman (Author), Leela Green (Illustrator)
Lucky G is a big bird on a big mission:
To help kids cope with their mental and physical challenges.

As someone with depression, it’s hard to describe and explain it to children. Additional, depression is much more than “just sadness”. This book does a great job explaining it and also normalizing it. Additionally, it speaks of talking to someone about your feelings, something that kids and adults alike seem to forget when they need it most.

A lot of the words rhyme, which makes the book fun to read. The illustrations are colorful (Dr. Lucky G is my favorite!) and the animals are unique – not your every day cat or dog that you see!

The book may be a little too long and wordy for kids to read alone at a young age. I don’t think my 7, soon to be 8 year old would sit and read it all herself, but it would make for a great read together book (child reads one page, parent reads another).

I definitely think this is a book that should be on hand for families, especially families that have depression run in the family. It can be a book that helps explain to children as well as encourage them to speak to someone. It also is great for kids who may already be going to therapy and think it’s “dumb” or is negative to them.

I enjoyed this book and will definitely be keeping it on hand. As someone with depression and with a child who has depression, this book is definitely going to come in handy!

About the Author
AMY WILINSKI-LYMAN lives in Michigan with her three awesome children: Zach, Drew, and Kendall; and her big fluffy orange cat, Marshall. Amy was hospitalized with depression for two months in early 2016. During that time, Amy’s family desperately tried to find resources to help her young daughter and two sons cope with their mom’s deep sadness. They quickly learned there was nothing really out there. Amy decided she would change that. She set out to create a character and a story children would enjoy and understand. Through her books and online presence she wants to show parents and children living with mental illness that there is hope.