I was born in a place humans call central Africa, in a dense rain forest so beautiful, no crayons could ever do it justice.
Humans love it when we get silly. I think they’re so weighed down by people problems that sometimes they need to be reminded what happy looks like.
I felt like I’d taken off an itchy sweater on a cold day: relieved to be rid of it, but surprised by how chilly the air turned out to be.
Anger is precious. A silverback uses anger to maintain order and warn his troop of danger.
What’s that expression?” asked my mom. “Fall down seven times, get up eight?
I used the sap from leaves. I used the juice from fruit. But mostly I used mud. And that is what they called me: Mud.
If I never talked about it, I felt like it couldn’t ever happen again.
Crenshaw and I didn’t chat much during those weeks on the road. There was always someone around to interrupt us. But that was okay. I knew he was there and that was enough. Sometimes that’s all you really need from a friend.
Facts are so much better than stories. You can’t see a story. You can’t hold it in your hand and measure it. You can’t hold a manatee in your hand either. But still. Stories are lies, when you get right down to it. And I don’t like being lied to. I’ve never been much into make-believe stuff. When I was a kid, I didn’t dress up like Batman or talk to stuffed animals or worry about monsters under my bed.
I don’t know why people talk to me, but they often do. Perhaps it’s because they think I can’t understand them. Or perhaps it’s because I can’t talk back.
Way I’ve always figured it, end of the day, you gotta be your own best friend. Look out for numero uno.
Why can’t you just be like other parents?” I demanded. I was crying hard. I gasped for breath. “Why does it have to be this way?
The ones we love,” says Aunt Akello, “live forever in our hearts.
Morning is like a gift you get to open every single day.
Humans love making unnecessary things. Then they love buying the unnecessary things. Then they love throwing away unnecessary things.
A first friend is a true gift, because forever after, your heart knows what’s possible.
What gifts did the world give you today? What gifts did you give the world?
Gently, because trees are like quiet friends and you have to be kind to them.
Lucky for me, I also have two uncles. My uncle Ivan is a gorilla. My uncle Bob is a dog. Families can be complicated.
But Uncle Bob says he is a service dog, because he is providing the service of being charming.
Fear can make you panic. But sometimes it floods your body like cobra venom and leaves you frozen.