Henry Hyena, Why Won't You Laugh?

by Doug Jantzen, Jean Claude (Illustrator)

Overview

When a hyena can’t find his funny, a friend offers a sweetly surprising solution in this adorable picture book, winner of the General Mills Spoonful of Stories contest.

Henry Hyena is feeling blue. He usually chuckles at monkeys swinging from trees, giggles as he chases hares, and belly laughs when he hears an elephant burp.

But one day at the zoo, Henry can’t even muster up a smile. Will a visit with a wise old giraffe, Dr. Long, help Henry find the key to laughing harder than ever?

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781481428224
Publisher:	Aladdin
Publication date:	07/21/2015
Pages:	32
Product dimensions:	9.20(w) x 11.10(h) x 0.50(d)
Lexile:	AD630L (what's this?)
Age Range:	4 - 7 Years

About the Author

Doug Jantzen is the author of Henry Hyena, Why Won't You Laugh?, a Simon & Schuster book.

Editorial Reviews

06/01/2015
Henry, a cute hyena with a crop of spiky hair, wonders what’s wrong when he lacks the urge to laugh alongside his fellow zoo hyenas: “He didn’t join in while they teased a few bears./ He chose not to help when they chased several hares.” When Henry seeks advice from Dr. Long, the giraffe explains that Henry has simply realized that “laughing at others is cruel.” Claude creates a lively zoo atmosphere, full of animals that strum guitars, vacuum, and play musical chairs. Yet the message about kindness lands heavily, and the idea that laughter needn’t be attached to meanness is glossed over. Ages 4–7. (July)

Publishers Weekly

06/01/2015
PreS-Gr 1—Henry Hyena is anxious. He normally loves a good belly laugh when something goes wrong, but now he's just not finding the mishaps of others to be funny. His friends can't get him to play or even to tease the other animals in the zoo. It's time to visit the wise old giraffe who tends to all the creatures. "Dr. Long," he worries, "my giggle is gone." Happily, Dr. Long diagnoses a case of empathy—"It's not that you're sick, and you're far from a fool," he explains. "You've just learned that laughing at others is cruel." Parents and teachers will appreciate the lesson imparted by this book's jaunty rhyming text, and children will relate to the animals whose pratfalls are made fun of by Henry's friends. There's plenty of humor here, too; readers will giggle at the computer-generated, colorful images of animals having a bad day. VERDICT Great for classrooms where teasing is an issue, and for readers who like a bit of animal absurdity.—Etta Verma, Library Journal

School Library Journal

2015-04-01
A laughless hyena regains his giggle in this debut from Jantzen and Claude. Henry Hyena, who lives in a zoo, is having a blue day. He just doesn't find the usual things funny—not the storks' wobbly knees or an elephant's burp—and he won't join in with the other hyenas' tricks, which include chasing the hares and cutting holes in the llamas' new socks. "Now this kind of thing / is really quite rare / for hyenas always / laugh without care." Dr. Long, a giraffe, knows exactly what's troubling Henry: "It's not that you're sick, and you're far from a fool. / You've just learned that laughing at others is cruel." Suddenly enlightened, Henry goes on to teach the other hyenas about being nice to others, and just like that, they transform into the nicest animals in the zoo, and Henry's laugh returns. While the verse is mostly reliable with regard to rhythm and rhyme, the words seem chosen just for their rhymes rather than to enhance or advance the story. Claude's digital illustrations use bright colors and white backgrounds to focus readers' attention. Children will have no doubt as to how the animals are feeling, especially the butts of the hyenas' jokes and tricks. Important though the lesson is, this is too didactic and unrealistic to help children facing similar situations. (Picture book. 4-7)

Kirkus Reviews