Heart to Heart

November 14, 2022
A world-renowned religious leader and an American cartoonist join forces in this whimsical illustrated volume with a deceptively simple message about saving the planet. The Dalai Lama supplies text and McDonnell, creator of the comic strip Mutts, provides the charming visuals as a panda comes to call on the Dalai Lama at his residence in Dharamsala, India. For the panda, the Dalai Lama recalls “the scent of wildflowers” from his childhood and the many animals he saw while traveling from the village of his birth to the Tibetan capital of Lhasa. Yet since this childhood sojourn, a vast array of wildlife no longer remains. Meanwhile, “Peace and survival of life on earth as we know it are threatened by human activities,” the Dalai Lama tells the panda, but if humans engage in self-examination and begin “a compassionate revolution,” change is possible. Complemented by charming illustrations­­ (seeing the Dalai Llama and a panda in conversation actually works quite well), this book’s uplifting message is clear: while the planet’s forecast may be dire, each individual is able—and obligated—to harness personal power to help save it. This would make a life-affirming gift for people of all ages.