Happy books for the new year
Start the new year off happily with these lighthearted books for kids.
“The Happiest Book Ever!” by Bob Shea; Disney/Hyperion; 32 pages; $16.99.
A happy book should have a sunny yellow cover and a striped giraffe holding ice cream cones. Bob Shea’s “The Happiest Book Ever!” starts with a frowny frog and a carrot cake that become happier by chanting “yellow bobellow!” and “Your happy, happy thoughts made the book super happy happy!” But the frog is still frowny. Kids can shake the book to try to make the frog smile. And they can tell him jokes. But eventually, readers realize he’s OK just the way he is — with a new blue balloon in hand.
With collage-like sketches and a real frog photo, Shea’s “cwazy” picture book is full of phrases like “Thwipp!” and “Whoop-de-do!” and characters like “a sun with a new haircut and snazzy glasses!” and “a whale with good news.”
“Hug This Book!” by Barney Saltzberg; illustrated by Fred Benaglia; Phaidon Press; 32 books; $16.95.
The opening flap of Barney Saltzberg’s rhyming ode to books reads: “You can spin and twirl and dance with this book. You can take your book to lunch. Just do not try to feed it.” More chants remind readers that books are to be revered and loved. It says: “You can kiss and hug and smell this book. That might sound sort of silly. You can wrap this book in a sweater, if it ever gets too chilly.” Starring a bevy of children with different-colored faces (lime green, red, blue), the retro 1960s-style artwork lends a timeless appeal that harkens back to the Sesame Street and Dr. Seuss days of children’s literature.
“Everyone” by Christopher Silas Neal; Candlewick Press; 32 pages; $15.99.
Though we all want to be happy, everyone knows happiness comes and goes. Debut author Christopher Silas Neal explores with young readers the idea that everyone, including animals in the woods and neighbors in their homes nearby, feels all sorts of emotions — “frustrated, frazzled, fed up, bonkers, batty, bananas” — but sometimes it seems that no one will listen. As the little boy in the book experiences several emotions, he eventually realizes a cry is OK, as everyone has feelings. He also realizes that happiness grows.
Neal’s vintage-like illustrations are different shades of blue, white and black, and include plenty of flowers with changing expressions, and people hugging and sharing. This book is a thoughtful means to let youngsters know they’re not alone in their feelings. Everyone is on a journey, and it ends up a happy one.