FICTION

Happiness Is a Watermelon on Your Head

by Daniel HAHN
tr. from Portuguese. illus. by Stella Dreis. 40p. Trafalgar Square. June 2013. pap. $9.99. ISBN 978-1-907912-05-4.
COPY ISBN
K-Gr 2—Dreis combines opulent color, comical poses, and a novel composition to create this luscious picture book. Miserable Miss Whimper, Miss Grouch, and Miss Stern mimic details of their neighbor Miss Jolly's lifestyle in an effort to capture her joie de vivre. "Maybe being happy is having a pet!/Miss Jolly has Melvin, you know. What a boar!" But they learn that it's not Miss J.'s fruit hat, or exotic pet, or playing cello in a tree that makes the difference. Their exhausted defeat in a watermelon attack finally becomes the sought-after glee when they learn to laugh at the aftermath of the battle. Hahn's rhymes are fresh, sprinkled with rich vocabulary. This feast for the eyes and ears should be on everyone's menu.—Gay Lynn Van Vleck, Henrico County Library, Glen Allen, VA
Reviewed by Gay Lynn Van Vleck , Jun 01, 2013

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