The Little Gibbon Who Lost His Song Book

‘The Little Gibbon Who Lost His Song’, published in 2016, tells the story of Little Gibbon who becomes separated from his family in the thick, black smoke from a forest fire.

Gibbons rely on singing to communicate with other members of their family but, as evidenced by our behavioural research, gibbons sing less in smoky conditions. After losing his song, the Little Gibbon goes on an epic journey through the forest, meeting many forest friends, in an effort to be reunited with his family. To stop the forest burning, local villagers come to the rescue. Only then can the forest be saved and, as the smoke clears, Little Gibbon can finally sing again and find his missing family.

This bilingual book (English and Indonesian) aims to give children an insight into the amazing species that call the forest home. They will themselves go on a journey discovering many forest animals and the interesting behaviours of these unique species. But, ultimately, our hope is for children to understand that the forest is at risk from fires and local people play a crucial role in keeping it safe for the future.

🌏 Written in both English and Indonesian, so why not learn a bit of the language of the country the Little Gibbon lives in!
🧬 Based on real research carried out by Borneo Nature Foundation
🌳 All proceeds from the sale of this book help protect and restore critical wildlife habitat in Borneo.

Written by Carolyn Thompson, illustrated by Rebecca Armson, designed and project coordinated by Suzanne Turnock, translated by Verawati Aprillia, and editorial assistance from Joana Aragay and Riethma Yustiningtyas.

This book has kindly been endorsed by Sir David Attenborough and you can watch him talking about it here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZqzL3l-gmPk