Happy Hardcover – Picture Book, April 1, 2012

This eye-catching book has real kid appeal! The glossy, vibrantly colored fish on the front cover really pops on the matte black background; this one catches the child's eye and is picked first from our preschool bookshelf time and time again.Once inside the covers, you'll find more fish, each drawn in simple, bold strokes of crayon, chalk, and/or oil pastel, and each filling a full page with a black background. Opposite each fish page is a colorful page with a single word describing the feeling, mood, or attitude, ranging from shy to curious, delighted to furious.That's it, that's all. There aren't many words here, and no story at all. The real magic of this book, though, is that it delights children and truly gets them talking. They pour over the pictures of fish and there are ample opportunities for discussions about feelings and child-initiated storytelling.Older preschoolers and younger schoolagers may also enjoy creating fish pictures of their own, and this book provides a powerful art lesson on how color choices and a few simple lines can be used to convey a mood.Best suited for sharing one-on-one, this book is sure to be a favorite.

We picked up Happy at the library first and after just a few readings of it, my son could name the names / emotions of the fish just by looking at them (he was 21 months old at the time, so can't read). Not only was it a good lesson in remembering (I was amazed he could say "astonished") but also taught him emotions like loving, content, angry, shy, brave, shocked, proud, etc. We loved it so much that we bought it off Amazon and it remains one of my son's most requested books. And when we ask "what does surprised fish do?" he'll gasp and hold his hands up to his face, sometimes with an "Oh gosh!" Though shocked and astonished are pretty much the same....

This book is great for discussing emotions. There are so many extension activities you could do with this book! The black background with the fish are beautiful to look at.

I purchased Happy to send to my 4 year old granddaughter who had recently moved from Va. to New Mexico. It was sent as a "welcome to your new home" gift -- she is a beginning reader, and experienced some emotional ups and downs prior to, during, and shortly after the move -- she is enjoying the book, reading it with her mom or older sister -- and the exploration of feelings is just right!

Happy is a beautiful book to share with children of all ages. It is inspiring and lends its self as an interesting jump of point for all sorts of acivities to explore such as acting, art, emotions, and can also be used in many ways to enhance early literacy skills. I will use it in many fall story times at preschools and elementary schools, as well as at the library

Great art teacher book to show emotions in art. The illustrations did a wonderful job of showing different emotions through line and shapes used to create the eyes and mouth of each fish.

I fell in love with this book the first time I saw it in the store. As a former preschool teacher, I had to buy it because it truly does make me happy to enjoy the beautiful illustrations. If I were still teaching, I would have several copies and use them for lessons in art, language and emotions!

LOVE this book! It opens up so many opportunites to talk about feelings - what kinds of situations may lead to different emotions and how they're all normal and can be worked through. It's a book that will relate to every child. And the facial expressions of the fish are awesome!

Descritto come libro per bambini (verissimo ... è davvero adatto ai bimbi), è fantastico anche per noi adulti.Grafica straordinaria, intelligente e simpatica l'idea.Bellissimo da avere e da regalare.Esiste anche in altre lingue.CERCATELO (comincia a essere molto difficile da reperire)

nettes Buch, hübsche Photos

un álbum ilustrado tanto para los pequeños como para los más mayores, muy gráfico y bonito

This is a great picture book. I have used it to help children with emotional problems. The images are all beautifully but simply drawn and help to show what the fish might be feeling. You can invite your child to make their own fish drawing or to help them to describe their own 'wobbly' feelings.

Illustrations très chouettes pour une présentation du vocabulaire des sentiments en anglais extra. Je recommande ce livre pour travailler le vocabulaire des sentiments en anglais