The Happy Book and Other Feelings

Rash presents a story about the interconnectivity of emotions, presenting each as a distinct realm dominated by a moody primary color. When a yellow-haired “happy Camper,” dressed in a scout uniform, eats the entire friendship cake made by best friend Clam, the mollusk woefully rushes through a panel in the bright and sunny “Happy Book” to the inky blue “Sad Book.” There, Clam meets bulgy-eyed sad Trombone (“Bwah-bwah”), picked last for a jazz band. When Camper arrives, misunderstandings and bad feelings lead the characters to the “Angry Book,” where a pugnacious red bird resides, and then to the “Scared Book.” Finally, Camper and Clam arrive in the “Feelings Book,” where all of the emotions coexist. Rash’s bright, kinetic art captures the intensity of feelings, while the mood-fluctuating characters demonstrate emotions’ ephemerality. Ages 3–7. [em](Feb.) [/em]