The Happy Book

December 15, 2018
Best friends Camper (as in "happy Camper") and Clam (as in "happy as a") explore a wide range of feelings in a colorfully metafictive outing.Camper and Clam introduce themselves in the yellow opening pages. Camper, a white child in a scouting uniform, dances in a field of daisies; Clam, a land-going bivalve, bakes a friendship cake. When Camper proceeds to selfishly eat all the cake, Clam is hurt and upset. Opening a door in what looks like yellow endpapers, Camper enters The Sad Book and finds Clam in a blue setting amid broken hearts, clouds, and rain. Camper tries to coax Clam out of the sad pages, but Clam continues to sulk, prompting a miffed Camper to walk through the door leading to the red landscape of The Angry Book. Amid the red pages, Camper confesses, "I'm angry that I can't make you happy and scared we won't be friends anymore." Clam replies, "I'm scared too, Camper. Let's go in here," and they enter the green pages of The Scared Book. There, they realize that as long as they are together, feeling afraid is not so bad. Resolution occurs when they enter The Feelings Book, a rainbow environment where a party with all emotions is taking place. Black-outlined colorful cartoons maintain a quirky silliness throughout the dialogue-only narrative. Secondary characters Trombone, Wet Hen, and (fraidy) Cat add an extra layer of fun.Perceptively encourages readers to express emotions honestly to themselves and others. (Picture book. 4-6)

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March 1, 2019

PreS-Gr 1- This clever, metafictional story uses doorways and page turns to navigate the world of feelings, and cheerfully shows that it's okay to feel various emotions, and that it's helpful to talk about feelings with each other. "Happy" Camper and "Happy as a" Clam are best friends. Together, they make up a sunshiny, yellow "Happy Book." But when Clam bakes them a friendship cake and Camper selfishly eats it all, Camper finds that the next page is the beginning of "The Sad Book." In this book, Clam sulks and reflects in blue tones, which frustrates Camper, who finds himself subsequently in the "The Angry Book." Rash's thickly lined cartoon illustrations are accessible and packed with expression and bold detail. The dialogue is playfully framed in speech balloons. VERDICT This interactive offering is recommended for one-on-one sharing or as a catalyst for group discussion. A welcome, good-natured addition to titles on the topic of feelings.-Brianne Colombo, Fairfield Free Public Library, NJ

Copyright 2019 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Starred review from February 15, 2019
Preschool-G *Starred Review* Fans of Pixar's Inside Out should love this zany yet wise exploration of feelings. The title and cover seem to indicate that happiness is the main focus, but the hero (happy) Camper and his sidekick, (happy as a) Clam, traverse some very dark, uncomfortable terrain here. Rash's comic-book art is saturated with intense color (each emotion gets its own color: red for anger, green for fear, etc.) and witty details (like the bwah-bwah sound of a sad trombone) that make this trip through a range of feelings a hoot. Camper, in his Boy Scout uniform, and Clam, a semicircle with two eyes and a big, expressive mouth, move through a series of books, from The Happy Book to The Sad Book to The Scared Book to The Angry Book and, finally, to The Feelings Book. Something in each book triggers the next emotion, and Camper and Clam become immersed in the feeling, while also meeting a new friend, like the wet hen in The Angry Book. Camper and Clam talk about why their feelings have been changing and realize their friendship can overcome any problematic emotions. This comforting conclusion leads them to the final Feelings Book, where they throw a rainbow-themed party for all the book's feelings. Adults should have as much fun reading this as children.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2019, American Library Association.)