Coconut character helps Malaysian children name feelings
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Constance Luk, a Penang resident and founder of the non-profit Phew!, wrote and illustrated “Coco The Floating Coconut” to help children express their emotions.
The book follows a coconut adrift at sea as it experiences feelings like worry and loneliness, giving young readers a way to connect with their own emotional states. Luk created the story because children often struggle to articulate their feelings, and adults may misinterpret challenging behaviour as simply disobedience.
Luk intends the book to start conversations between children and adults, encouraging parents to listen and validate feelings rather than immediately trying to fix problems. She included affirmation stickers, colouring pages, and conversation starters to extend the book’s impact. “Coco The Floating Coconut” is the first in a planned series of 16 books called “Little Malaysia, Big Hearts”, each set in a different state or territory of Malaysia and released annually in October for World Mental Health Day.
Luk plans to bring storytelling sessions to schools, orphanages, and refugee centres throughout Malaysia, providing copies of the book to each location. She hopes this work will help normalize conversations about mental health in childhood and establish emotional wellbeing as an integral part of growing up. The book costs RM35 and is available to order online or for direct collection in Penang.
