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The Happy Book
From the creator of ARCHIE THE DAREDEVIL PENGUIN comes the unique story of two friends who can't escape all the feels.
Camper is happy as a clam and Clam is a happy camper. When you live in The Happy Book , the world is full of daisies and sunshine and friendship cakes . . . until your best friend eats the whole cake and doesn't save you one bite. Moving from happiness to sadness and everything in between, Camper and Clam have a hard time finding their way back to happy. But maybe happy isn't the goal--being a good friend is about supporting each other and feeling all the feels together.
At once funny and thoughtful, The Happy Book supports social-emotional learning. It's a book to keep young readers company no matter how they're feeling!
Camper is happy as a clam and Clam is a happy camper. When you live in The Happy Book , the world is full of daisies and sunshine and friendship cakes . . . until your best friend eats the whole cake and doesn't save you one bite. Moving from happiness to sadness and everything in between, Camper and Clam have a hard time finding their way back to happy. But maybe happy isn't the goal--being a good friend is about supporting each other and feeling all the feels together.
At once funny and thoughtful, The Happy Book supports social-emotional learning. It's a book to keep young readers company no matter how they're feeling!
40 pages, Hardcover
Published February 19, 2019
6 people are currently reading
238 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 131 reviews
September 1, 2019
I started out reading this and I thought I was immediately going to hate it. I didn’t like the art at first and it was mono-feeling. Then, Happy turned into Sad. He has a character to represent each feeling and a color as well. The boy and a clam start out in happy land. The clam makes a cake for the boy and the boy eats the whole cake leaving none for the clam so the clam gets sad. It’s such a surprise to go from the Happy to the sad.
I thought this book was so clever and once I saw the transition, I was captivated and bought into the story. There are also some wonderful puns and phrases that tickled me. The end is lovely. It’s not overly sweet and it did touch my heart a little, just a little. Yeah to being a whole person. I love that switch from thinking I hated this book, to being surprised completely by the book and then appreciating the book.
The nephew thought this was pretty cool. He could relate to the boy in Happy land and the boy in Angry land. He thought the clam was funny too. A cat also shows up and he likes cats. He gave this 4 stars. HIs sister did not read this story.
I thought this book was so clever and once I saw the transition, I was captivated and bought into the story. There are also some wonderful puns and phrases that tickled me. The end is lovely. It’s not overly sweet and it did touch my heart a little, just a little. Yeah to being a whole person. I love that switch from thinking I hated this book, to being surprised completely by the book and then appreciating the book.
The nephew thought this was pretty cool. He could relate to the boy in Happy land and the boy in Angry land. He thought the clam was funny too. A cat also shows up and he likes cats. He gave this 4 stars. HIs sister did not read this story.
March 13, 2019
So much of picture book writing consists of rehashing old concepts. When your audience consists almost entirely of small, new people, necessity dictates that you will have to present familiar ideas to them in a host of different ways. Consider your average preschool teachers. Not only do they have to keep their charges fed, napped, and relatively clean, but they also have to instruct them on the basics. Shapes and colors. Numbers and letters. And then there are those more intangible concepts like emotions. Think about it this way – you have to ascribe words to deeply personal feelings. A child crying feels like they’re the only person in the world who has ever felt that way. How weird is it that you can put a name to that emotion? And yet every year, time after time, new books about emotions come out. Now I know that there’s a whole swath of teachers out there that automatically reach for Aliki’s Feelings, but here’s the advantage of looking beyond the classics. Turns out, 21st century picture books have an awful lot to offer. And sometimes, if you’re very lucky and the stars align and the heavens sing a high C at precisely the right moment, you’ll get a book about emotions that’s so good it moves beyond the usual “concept book” fare. Good old, Andy Rash. I always knew he had a book like The Happy Book in him. All it took was a swath of inspiration (and maybe a bit of collaboration with his son Joe) to give us the feelings books we never knew we needed and now cannot live without.
Two best buddies are having a high old time. Happy Camper and his pal (happy as a) Clam are friends to the end. But when Camper devours Clam’s friendship cake without sharing so much as a bite, the book begins to swerve in a different direction. Camper notices a mysterious door which, when opened, turns out to be an entrance to The Sad Book. There he finds Clam with a teary-eyed trombone (“Bwah-bwah”) upset about the cake situation. Peeved, Camper makes his own way to The Angry Book accompanied by (what else?) a wet hen. Ultimately the two fear for their friendship and end up in The Scared Book (resident: one cat), where they talk it out. So do they return to The Happy Book at the end? It’s a bit more complicated than that. Better to end at The Feelings Book. Sayonara, unrealistic expectations of perpetual joy!
The key to any good funny picture book isn’t that dissimilar to the key to good writing in general. Basically, you have to upset expectations. So you tell kids you’re going to read them The Happy Book (conveniently forgetting to mention the subtitle “and other feelings” in the process). The cover is rife with good cheery vibes. The story itself is such a golly-gosh-gee-willikers bundle of joy that you’ll have little trouble believing that them’s all he wrote. It was an honest surprise to me when the clam disappeared behind that mysterious door and the storyline went in an entirely different direction. Then there are the jokes. Parents, I have found, have low expectations for picture books so if you work in at least one really good knee-slapper early on, they’re yours for life. For me, it happened early on when the Happy Camper does a little dance while saying “Nothing beats being happy with my best friend.” Look at how Rash has positioned him. He’s twisting his upper half to the left while simultaneously kicking what appears to be his left leg far to the right. And this little dance makes me giggle every single time I see it. I should expect it, but somehow I never do. For other adults it might be the Sad Trombone or the moment the Wet Hen finally lays her egg, but odds are there will be at least one joke for everyone in the family to enjoy at some point during the read. Because, when all is said and done, there is nothing funnier than a cat covered in spiders.
Funny is one thing, but how do you write a book about emotions that actually has something to say to kids? Sure, it’s fun to see two characters wander through various landscapes of color, but on another level Rash is making some pretty cognizant observations about friendship. When kids read this book they’ll be in the early stages of navigating their own social interactions. And boy, let me tell you, nothing brings emotions to the surface quite as quickly as small children dealing with other small children. The Happy Camper is happy but truly self-absorbed in the same way that many kids are self-absorbed. He can’t understand why eating the clam’s cake was a problem. He can’t understand why anyone would want to spend any time at all being sad. But perpetually, throughout the book, you notice that Camper and Clam talk to one another about how they’re feeling. It’s not enough to just feel these feelings singly, or even to observe them in others. Rash is making a case for why sharing your feelings, open and honestly, leads to better conversations, and a better friendship.
Back when Andy Rash wrote, Archie the Daredevil Penguin there was something about the guy’s style I dug. It’s hard to put my finger down on precisely what that was, though. It was a little cartoony, sure, but it also had this flair to it. I see that flair yet again with this book. First off, check out the man’s color scheme. Yellow, blue, red, and green, bright as all get out. When the Happy Camper turns the page and discovers The Sad Book on the other side, Rash just floods you with as much blue as he did initially with yellow. The effect is immediate and almost emotional. I’m fairly certain that page turn wouldn’t have worked half as well as it did had he opted to follow up yellow with green or red. Then the characters themselves just pop. If you’re going to do a book about feelings, you have to be unafraid to have characters that can show ‘em off to their best advantage. Show me anger! Show me misery! If you can do that, you’re in the clear.
For librarians and teachers, however, there is one overriding question: How well does this book read out loud to large groups? I mean, I read it to my seven and four-year-old and they got a kick out of it, but it’s a whole other ballgame when you find yourself facing down a room full of squirmy preschoolers. Fortunately, that’s why I have the supreme advantage of tapping my talented co-workers for info. The results? I am happy to report, that when one of my fellow librarians performed this book for a storytime it worked like gangbusters. How could it not? Note, the fine use of primary colors (the better to see the book across a room) placed inside of thick black lines. Note too the inclusion of jokes that grown-ups will get. At one point during his read, my co-worker got to the Sad Trombone and gave a morose “Bwah-bwah”. Instantly the parents burst out laughing and the kids, who initially regarded them with quizzical looks, soon joined in. Finally, note how you never really know where the book is going to go from one page turn to the next. Kids will sit, rapt, unable to tear themselves away. Rash never makes the reader do too many different voices (put another way, he never Harry Potters you, if you know what I mean) and the ending is stand up and cheer happy. Just don’t be surprised if you get some cries to read it again, again, again!
Other picture books that discuss emotions go through the process like they’re ticking boxes off. Happy? Check. Sad? Check. Angry? Check and check. What makes The Happy Book different is that it shows that these emotions don’t exist in a vacuum and talking about them can be a way of dealing with issues that might otherwise be repressed. When an adult picks up a book of emotions, they expect the rote listing. They may not expect a smart encapsulation of how feelings and friendship are so intertwined that separating them can be difficult. On top of that, you have hilarious writing and art that has the dual advantage of appealing to kids near and far. You have other books about emotions that you love, I have no doubt, but seriously consider supplementing them with Rash’s latest. A loving little book unafraid to be happy, sad, angry, scared, and supremely good.
For ages 3-7.
Two best buddies are having a high old time. Happy Camper and his pal (happy as a) Clam are friends to the end. But when Camper devours Clam’s friendship cake without sharing so much as a bite, the book begins to swerve in a different direction. Camper notices a mysterious door which, when opened, turns out to be an entrance to The Sad Book. There he finds Clam with a teary-eyed trombone (“Bwah-bwah”) upset about the cake situation. Peeved, Camper makes his own way to The Angry Book accompanied by (what else?) a wet hen. Ultimately the two fear for their friendship and end up in The Scared Book (resident: one cat), where they talk it out. So do they return to The Happy Book at the end? It’s a bit more complicated than that. Better to end at The Feelings Book. Sayonara, unrealistic expectations of perpetual joy!
The key to any good funny picture book isn’t that dissimilar to the key to good writing in general. Basically, you have to upset expectations. So you tell kids you’re going to read them The Happy Book (conveniently forgetting to mention the subtitle “and other feelings” in the process). The cover is rife with good cheery vibes. The story itself is such a golly-gosh-gee-willikers bundle of joy that you’ll have little trouble believing that them’s all he wrote. It was an honest surprise to me when the clam disappeared behind that mysterious door and the storyline went in an entirely different direction. Then there are the jokes. Parents, I have found, have low expectations for picture books so if you work in at least one really good knee-slapper early on, they’re yours for life. For me, it happened early on when the Happy Camper does a little dance while saying “Nothing beats being happy with my best friend.” Look at how Rash has positioned him. He’s twisting his upper half to the left while simultaneously kicking what appears to be his left leg far to the right. And this little dance makes me giggle every single time I see it. I should expect it, but somehow I never do. For other adults it might be the Sad Trombone or the moment the Wet Hen finally lays her egg, but odds are there will be at least one joke for everyone in the family to enjoy at some point during the read. Because, when all is said and done, there is nothing funnier than a cat covered in spiders.
Funny is one thing, but how do you write a book about emotions that actually has something to say to kids? Sure, it’s fun to see two characters wander through various landscapes of color, but on another level Rash is making some pretty cognizant observations about friendship. When kids read this book they’ll be in the early stages of navigating their own social interactions. And boy, let me tell you, nothing brings emotions to the surface quite as quickly as small children dealing with other small children. The Happy Camper is happy but truly self-absorbed in the same way that many kids are self-absorbed. He can’t understand why eating the clam’s cake was a problem. He can’t understand why anyone would want to spend any time at all being sad. But perpetually, throughout the book, you notice that Camper and Clam talk to one another about how they’re feeling. It’s not enough to just feel these feelings singly, or even to observe them in others. Rash is making a case for why sharing your feelings, open and honestly, leads to better conversations, and a better friendship.
Back when Andy Rash wrote, Archie the Daredevil Penguin there was something about the guy’s style I dug. It’s hard to put my finger down on precisely what that was, though. It was a little cartoony, sure, but it also had this flair to it. I see that flair yet again with this book. First off, check out the man’s color scheme. Yellow, blue, red, and green, bright as all get out. When the Happy Camper turns the page and discovers The Sad Book on the other side, Rash just floods you with as much blue as he did initially with yellow. The effect is immediate and almost emotional. I’m fairly certain that page turn wouldn’t have worked half as well as it did had he opted to follow up yellow with green or red. Then the characters themselves just pop. If you’re going to do a book about feelings, you have to be unafraid to have characters that can show ‘em off to their best advantage. Show me anger! Show me misery! If you can do that, you’re in the clear.
For librarians and teachers, however, there is one overriding question: How well does this book read out loud to large groups? I mean, I read it to my seven and four-year-old and they got a kick out of it, but it’s a whole other ballgame when you find yourself facing down a room full of squirmy preschoolers. Fortunately, that’s why I have the supreme advantage of tapping my talented co-workers for info. The results? I am happy to report, that when one of my fellow librarians performed this book for a storytime it worked like gangbusters. How could it not? Note, the fine use of primary colors (the better to see the book across a room) placed inside of thick black lines. Note too the inclusion of jokes that grown-ups will get. At one point during his read, my co-worker got to the Sad Trombone and gave a morose “Bwah-bwah”. Instantly the parents burst out laughing and the kids, who initially regarded them with quizzical looks, soon joined in. Finally, note how you never really know where the book is going to go from one page turn to the next. Kids will sit, rapt, unable to tear themselves away. Rash never makes the reader do too many different voices (put another way, he never Harry Potters you, if you know what I mean) and the ending is stand up and cheer happy. Just don’t be surprised if you get some cries to read it again, again, again!
Other picture books that discuss emotions go through the process like they’re ticking boxes off. Happy? Check. Sad? Check. Angry? Check and check. What makes The Happy Book different is that it shows that these emotions don’t exist in a vacuum and talking about them can be a way of dealing with issues that might otherwise be repressed. When an adult picks up a book of emotions, they expect the rote listing. They may not expect a smart encapsulation of how feelings and friendship are so intertwined that separating them can be difficult. On top of that, you have hilarious writing and art that has the dual advantage of appealing to kids near and far. You have other books about emotions that you love, I have no doubt, but seriously consider supplementing them with Rash’s latest. A loving little book unafraid to be happy, sad, angry, scared, and supremely good.
For ages 3-7.
March 20, 2019
Oh my goodness! This is the best book about feelings I've ever read. So often they're just weird but this one is perfect and makes the range of the emotions we feel both totally ok and laugh-out-loud hilarious! I loved it! Therapists could keep this one on their shelves to use with all ages. Hooray for feelings!
June 4, 2019
Cute book about all the feelings and emotions that everyone experiences, emphasizing that they are not good or bad, just feelings. Really cute. Definitely meant for the older picture book fan. Great discussion book for kids though. I especially like how the angry hen focused her anger to fix the bike (that she broke, but whatever) and how the scared cat makes sure she has a helmet. It shows how feelings like this can be useful.
March 19, 2019
SO MANY FEELINGS ABOUT THIS BOOK OF FEELINGS that caps were necessary.
Read
April 23, 2019I actually lol'd at this. Loved the way it was set up.
May 18, 2019
This was a great dad-read-aloud book.
June 4, 2019
Really probably 3ish stars but the illustrations made me laugh out loud in a couple of places. (The cat with the box of spiders hahahaha).
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October 21, 2024Meh...
February 15, 2020
This book is truly great for kids and their emotions and for them to better understand how different emotions can co-exist.
June 5, 2019
Andy Rash's The Happy Book is a real gem of a picture book. Are you familiar with expressions such as happy camper, scaredy cat, or sad trombone? Well, get ready to meet pitch-perfect, on-the-nose, laugh-out-loud depictions of all sorts of feelings ! Camper and Clam are having a pretty awesome time together in the Happy Book: the sun is shining, yellow birds are chirping, a friendship cake is baked...and then Clam discovers Camper has eaten all of the friendship cake. Camper spies an open door on a following page that leads to the Sad Book, where Clam and weepy-eyed Trombone are hanging out in the blue. Misadventures and changing feelings lead the cast of characters through the Angry Book, the Scared Book, and finally on to the Feelings Book, for a cool (and thoughtful) party and conclusion. The Happy Book is a super appealing read due to Rash's vivacious and colourful illustrations in tandem with a sincerely clever, funny (and punny), and reflective story. Readers who have explored titles such as The Feelings Book, Theo's Mood, Mouse Was Mad, Happy Hippo, Angry Duck, and/or those who are interested in trying a new picture book on the subject of social-emotional learning (...or who might just want a very funny and illuminating read), The Happy Book is a terrific pick.
I received a copy of this title courtesy of Penguin Random House Canada in exchange for an honest review. All opinions and comments are my own.
March 8, 2019
I really didn't think I was going to care for this book, but it totally won me over. Great for discussing feelings... very Inside Out-ish where all feelings are acknowledged and allowed to be felt. Recommended.
June 24, 2019
Stevie gives this 5 stars, I give it 3. Good for talking through emotions.
Note: I read with my niece, who gave every book 5 stars and insisted on previewing my comments.:D I had to go back to change the stars, for accuracy.
Note: I read with my niece, who gave every book 5 stars and insisted on previewing my comments.:D I had to go back to change the stars, for accuracy.
August 20, 2019
Such a cute book. My son adored it. I have a feeling we’ll be referencing emotions in this way when they come up, “you’re in the angry book now!” Lots of levels, all done in a simple way that shows kids it normal to spiral through many emotions and they are what they are.
Read
November 30, 2019Camper (as in "Happy Camper") and Clam (as in "Happy as a") are best friends and they're happy. But when Clam bakes Camper a cake and Camper eats all of it without saving any for his friend, Clam gets sad and enters a new book. Instead of The Happy Book, Clam's spending some time in The Sad Book. And from there, the two friends experience a gamut of emotions as they work through their first fight. Not only is this book funny, but it respects the range of emotions that kids experience and how friends can work through those emotions to express their feelings when disagreements happen. Designed with cartoon dialog bubbles like a comic book, this book is fun for recreational reading, but it also passes along a positive message about the emotions we all experience.
October 31, 2019
A good book to help kids understand the complexities of emotions and emotional changes. We don't always understand why we're sad or angry or scared, and talking about it out loud could really help kids get a grasp on not only their own but other people's emotions.
March 1, 2019
LOL I love this book. Has a great message about feelings while being really entertaining and funny.
January 8, 2020
I love a hilarious, weird book that talks about feelings and look! Here is one and it is delicious.
August 18, 2019
I found myself *really* liking this book. It shows that feelings like sadness, anger, and fear aren't "bad," they're just feelings. Sometimes they can be helpful - channeling anger into fixing a problem you caused, or fear of injury making you cautious. But they're still just feelings, and feelings are valid. Your *response* to the feelings is what counts!
May 4, 2019
This colorful book begins with The Happy Book, bright yellow pages, a happy camper wearing a scout uniform, and a clam.
"Welcome to the Happy Book!
I’m one happy Camper!"
But this happy guy soon disappoints his best friend, Clam, by thoughtlessly eating the whole friendship cake that Clam prepared. Oops! One of these characters has caused the happy feeling that they’ve shared to change.
"Wait You ate the whole cake?"
Scout confirms this and with a little smile and a thank you, he hops on his bike and takes off. He’s happy and completely oblivious to the fact that his best friend has disappeared.
Eventually, Camper discovers a door that opens into The Sad Book, blue pages. And who should be there but Clam?
"Oh, hi, Camper. This is where I go when I’m not feeling happy. Meet my friend Trombone."
The sad, wide-eyed, trombone replies,
"Bwah-bwah."
Rash presents wonderful thoughts on many of our emotions as the characters go in and out of various doors. Camper wanting to make Clam happy adds a basket to his bike for Clam to ride in. However, Camper grows impatient and angry when Clam can’t move immediately back to the happy pages. What does Camper do, but exit The Sad Book and enter The Angry Book.
Moving from happiness to sadness and everything in between, Camper and Clam have a hard time finding their way back to happy. But maybe happy isn’t the goal–being a good friend is about supporting each other and feeling all the feels together.
My Thoughts
What Concerned Me: Nothing
What I Liked Most: Though there are many books regarding emotions, I love that this one is handled in such a fun yet thoughtful manner. It doesn’t become too didactic, and the lessons are subtle and offer plenty of room for discussions.
There are some really good points made throughout this book. ” . . . maybe happy isn’t the goal–but being a good friend is about supporting each other and feeling all the feels together.”
It gets an easy thumbs-up from me!
For More Reviews: https://pickagoodbook.com/
"Welcome to the Happy Book!
I’m one happy Camper!"
But this happy guy soon disappoints his best friend, Clam, by thoughtlessly eating the whole friendship cake that Clam prepared. Oops! One of these characters has caused the happy feeling that they’ve shared to change.
"Wait You ate the whole cake?"
Scout confirms this and with a little smile and a thank you, he hops on his bike and takes off. He’s happy and completely oblivious to the fact that his best friend has disappeared.
Eventually, Camper discovers a door that opens into The Sad Book, blue pages. And who should be there but Clam?
"Oh, hi, Camper. This is where I go when I’m not feeling happy. Meet my friend Trombone."
The sad, wide-eyed, trombone replies,
"Bwah-bwah."
Rash presents wonderful thoughts on many of our emotions as the characters go in and out of various doors. Camper wanting to make Clam happy adds a basket to his bike for Clam to ride in. However, Camper grows impatient and angry when Clam can’t move immediately back to the happy pages. What does Camper do, but exit The Sad Book and enter The Angry Book.
Moving from happiness to sadness and everything in between, Camper and Clam have a hard time finding their way back to happy. But maybe happy isn’t the goal–being a good friend is about supporting each other and feeling all the feels together.
My Thoughts
What Concerned Me: Nothing
What I Liked Most: Though there are many books regarding emotions, I love that this one is handled in such a fun yet thoughtful manner. It doesn’t become too didactic, and the lessons are subtle and offer plenty of room for discussions.
There are some really good points made throughout this book. ” . . . maybe happy isn’t the goal–but being a good friend is about supporting each other and feeling all the feels together.”
It gets an easy thumbs-up from me!
For More Reviews: https://pickagoodbook.com/
April 5, 2019
Oh, my. This. Book. Makes. Me. Happy.
🤗
Understanding our fluctuating emotions can be tricky business, but when we’re dealing with little humans, they can be downright confusing. Enter THE HAPPY BOOK.
🤗
Like life, it starts out grand. We’ve got a happy camper and a clam that is as happy as one. But then life throws you a curve. Enter sadness. Bwah-bwah...everything is blue and outta tune. Why would anyone wanna stay there, you say? Good question! Happy Camper wanted to know the same thing so off he went to be angry with his new bud, Wet Hen. Here, everything is red until...you find yourself with Clam in a scary land with a new friend, Cat. Together, they overcome their fears and enter the FEELINGS book. You know the one-you lean into the mess of emotions and it’s all okay because as long as all the friends are together, you can feel any way you want.
🤗
D’ya see what I mean? Aren’t you happy, now, too, knowing that there’s a witty but powerful ally you can tuck into classrooms, libraries, and doctors‘ offices to help put a name (and face now) to those confusing emotions kids try to squelch? Yeah, me, too.
Let’s go be happy together. What’s that you say? I spoiled the whole book for you and you’re mad that you don’t want to read it now? Fine. You and Wet Hen can hang out for a bit. I’ll wait. I’ll still be here for you when you’re ready, though. That’s what friends are for.
🤗
🤗
Understanding our fluctuating emotions can be tricky business, but when we’re dealing with little humans, they can be downright confusing. Enter THE HAPPY BOOK.
🤗
Like life, it starts out grand. We’ve got a happy camper and a clam that is as happy as one. But then life throws you a curve. Enter sadness. Bwah-bwah...everything is blue and outta tune. Why would anyone wanna stay there, you say? Good question! Happy Camper wanted to know the same thing so off he went to be angry with his new bud, Wet Hen. Here, everything is red until...you find yourself with Clam in a scary land with a new friend, Cat. Together, they overcome their fears and enter the FEELINGS book. You know the one-you lean into the mess of emotions and it’s all okay because as long as all the friends are together, you can feel any way you want.
🤗
D’ya see what I mean? Aren’t you happy, now, too, knowing that there’s a witty but powerful ally you can tuck into classrooms, libraries, and doctors‘ offices to help put a name (and face now) to those confusing emotions kids try to squelch? Yeah, me, too.
Let’s go be happy together. What’s that you say? I spoiled the whole book for you and you’re mad that you don’t want to read it now? Fine. You and Wet Hen can hang out for a bit. I’ll wait. I’ll still be here for you when you’re ready, though. That’s what friends are for.
🤗
November 13, 2022
I much enjoyed this title by Andy Rash and the way it talks about emotions. Happy Camper? Check. Sad Trambone? Check, and check. Wet Hen? Check, check, check! In the hands of a less-adept and outright funny author-illustrator, this could have fallen flat with only a cast of cleverly-named characters who embody these literal depictions of popular phrases. However, this book manages to tackle a quartet of emotions (happy, sad, angry, scared) that are universal and easily recognizable for young children. The ongoing conversation between Happy Camper and Clam-I-Am is a great way to keep the narrative moving, and to model this behavior for readers. I will definitely be using this in storytimes, and recommending to parents/caregivers seeking books about emotions for children.
n.b. I am thrilled to see that Clam-I-Am is gainfully employed once again in a new title. I have missed them since that big headline appearance in Clam-I-Am!: All About the Beach.
Thanks to Penguin Young Readers for the review copy.
n.b. I am thrilled to see that Clam-I-Am is gainfully employed once again in a new title. I have missed them since that big headline appearance in Clam-I-Am!: All About the Beach.
Thanks to Penguin Young Readers for the review copy.
September 13, 2019
The colors pop off the pages in this book about four primary feelings that children experience. Camper, Clam and the other cartoon characters travel through the lands of Happy, Sad, Angry, and Scared before their journey is over. In each land, they experience the emotion, and talk with the other characters about how the emotion is affecting them. The illustrations are laid out in double-page spreads alternating with panels, with a page of a repeating diamond pattern at the beginning and end of each emotion section. This book will help young children understand and deal with their own emotions.
March 11, 2019
An awesome addition in school classrooms to support emotional learning. In this vividly illustrated book we follow Camper as he maneuvers his way through happy, sad, angry and scared emotions. The characters he encounters explain their feelings as he tries to make his way back to his happy place. A uniquely fun way to talk children aged 3 to 7 about different emotions, and open up conversations about solutions to problems.
April 7, 2019
Acknowledges many feelings. In some ways like Inside Out.
I think my favorite part is when Happy Camper is angry about Clam being sad, and scared that he won’t be able to make Clam happy again, and worried that their friendship won’t make it. This little book manages to tackle some really complicated emotions, and does it in a way that helps you see how they can interact in surprising and chaotic ways.
I think my favorite part is when Happy Camper is angry about Clam being sad, and scared that he won’t be able to make Clam happy again, and worried that their friendship won’t make it. This little book manages to tackle some really complicated emotions, and does it in a way that helps you see how they can interact in surprising and chaotic ways.
June 26, 2019
When Andy's friend makes a friendship cake and Andy eats all of it, the friends are launched on a journey through books of feelings. Can they still be friends if they are sad, angry, and scared? Where will their emotional journey lead them? This book is a fun exploration of difficult feelings, and ultimately teaches that it's okay to feel many things all at once, or throughout the day, and that friends love us even when we aren't 100% happy.
July 15, 2019
This is a great book for children...especially younger children. It explores through word and illustrations the different emotions that we feel and that others around us may be feeling. It helps children understand that we can embrace these emotions and that they are normal.
June 3, 2019
Happy Camper and Happy Clam start in the Happy Book. But when Camper eats the entire friendship cake, Clam moves into the Sad Book. When Camper tries to get him out of the Sad Book and Clam won’t go, Camper joins Wet Hen in the Angry Book. Finally, they end up in the Feelings Book where all emotions are present.
Cute.
Cute.
March 29, 2019
A very bizarre book but I liked it. The illustrations are wild and fun and the message is fantastic. Took me a little while to get into, but a cute story. Definitely a lap read though, not great for storytime
April 3, 2019
What a great comic-book style picturebook to help kids understand feelings and their complexity. I like the focus on the effect your feelings have on yourself and on other. The comparison to colors will likely put readers in mind of the movie inside out.
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