You Make Me Happy

by Smriti Prasadam-Halls

Overview

A new beautifully illustrated celebration of love and friendship from the bestselling creators behind I'll Never Let You Go and I Love You Night and Day.

In this delightfully optimistic and uplifting observance of that special someone who makes you happy, Fox and Porcupine discover that when they're together, life is ever so much brighter. Gorgeous, fun, and full of heart, this is the perfect gift for that sweet ray of light in your life.

You make me happy, you make me new;
Together there's NOTHING that we cannot do.
You make me happy and hopeful and strong,
And right by your side is where I belong.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781681198491
Publisher:	Bloomsbury USA
Publication date:	01/15/2019
Pages:	32
Sales rank:	445,999
Product dimensions:	9.60(w) x 10.90(h) x 0.50(d)
Age Range:	3 - 6 Years

About the Author

Smriti Prasadam-Halls is a former children's books editor who has written several picture books and novelty books, including the #1 Publishers Weekly bestselling picture book I Love You Night and Day. She lives in England with her husband and three sons.
www.smriti.co.uk

Alison Brown studied Fine Art at Liverpool and then became a graphic designer. She is the illustrator of The Wall Street Journal and Publisher's Weekly bestselling I Love You Night and Day, I'll Never Let You Go, Snowy Bear, I'll Love You Always, and Little Owl's Egg. Alison lives in the United Kingdom.

Editorial Reviews

The roly-poly pair are delightfully expressive and adorable, and the sentiments expressed are those caregivers appreciate and celebrate in their children.” —Kirkus Reviews

“Another sweet book bearing a message of unconditional love and support . . . The gender-neutral animal pairs could easily represent a number of close relationships, from parent and child to grandparent and grandchild to an older and younger sibling . . . A perfect choice for one-on-one sharing and a comforting bedtime story.” —School Library Journal on I'LL NEVER LET YOU GO

“The last lines, echoing the premise of the whole book, will be reassuring to most . . . Sweet.” —Kirkus Reviews on I'LL NEVER LET YOU GO

“Prasadam-Halls's rhymed couplets have a pleasing lilt . . . The gender-neutral, cross-species portrait of affection gives the book the potential for broad appeal—the animals' relationship could easily be between a single or adoptive parent and his or her child, or also between two close friends.” —Publishers Weekly on I LOVE YOU NIGHT AND DAY

“Brown's soft, full-spread artwork nicely matches Prasadam-Halls's brief rhyming verse . . . This gentle, reassuring story is a calming tale just right for family or group sharing.” —School Library Journal on I LOVE YOU NIGHT AND DAY

From the Publisher

07/26/2019

PreS-K-An adorable testament to the importance of close relationships from the author and illustrator of I Love You Night and Day and I'll Never Let You Go. Fox and Porcupine frolic through the forest, across seasons, and offer one another love and support. Their relationship is left undefined and could easily be applied to parent and child, siblings, or friends as they play, laugh, and build a tree house together. Written in rhyming similes and lyrical vignettes, the text also acknowledges that sometimes close relationships are hard, as one can make the other grumpy, but overall being together is the most important thing. The illustrations rendered in acrylic and color pencil depict the pair having a picnic, splashing in a lake, and rowing an umbrella in the rain, reflecting the changing of the seasons and their continued connection through thick and thin. Soft colors and beautiful details, such as flower petals floating through the air, a snow porcupine with stick spikes, and a waterfall with a vibrant rainbow, fill the pages offering readers a delightful visual to match the endearing text. VERDICT A warming addition to any collection and for fans of the author and illustrator's previous joint efforts.-Kaitlin Malixi, Kensington Health Sciences Academy, Philadelphia

School Library Journal

2018-09-17

Fox and Porcupine celebrate the many ways they enjoy each other.

"You make me happy, / like birds taking flight, / like a waterfall twinkling, / like morning's first light. // The things that you do, and the things that you say, / fill me with sunshine and brighten my day." Throughout the seasons, readers are treated to a look at all the lovely times the duo have. Even when the text hints that one is feeling down and the other is cheering them on, the acrylic-paint-and-colored-pencil artwork shows both feeling glad, demanding that readers guess which might have been sad. That's not the only thing readers will have to guess either. It's unclear whether this relationship is friendly, romantic, or familial; at times the text and illustrations make it seem as though it could be any of these. And the first-person narrator is also never identified. The idea is certainly sweet, the roly-poly pair are delightfully expressive and adorable, and the sentiments expressed are those caregivers appreciate and celebrate in their children. Still, the wording may cause adults to cringe, especially those trained in psychology and like subjects that emphasize that confidence and well-being do not rest on externalities: "You make me happy and hopeful and strong."

Cute but not substantive, and the wording may be off-putting. (Picture book. 3-7)

Kirkus Reviews