Happy, written and illustrated by Mies Van Hout
If you are having a dreary spring, Happy will provide a cure. This is a concept book of emotions, with 20 additional emotions from “curious” to “delighted,” and everything in between including “loving,” “proud,” “brave,” “afraid,” and yes, even “furious.”
The fishes exhibiting the emotions make this book engaging for all ages, beyond the pre-K audience for which it is intended. Each fish appears to be drawn in chalk on a black background, like the “happy” fish, providing a mesmerizing neon-like quality. Opposite each fish is the one-word emotion, also chalked, and perhaps on an appropriately-colored page; “sad” is on a blue page, “shocked” on fuschia, and so on.
Get happy with Happy, and then look for the next book by Mies Van Hout, the hot-off-the-press Friends in the same format, only this time with monsters.
