Lagercrantz, R & Eriksson, E. (2013). My happy life. Minneapolis, MN: Gecko Press USA.
My Happy Life is a 2014 USBBY Outstanding International Book. Here is a summary from the Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Center Website:
When Dani can’t sleep, she doesn’t count sheep, she “counted all the times she’d been happy.” Now she’s also excited, as well as happy: “She’d waited her whole life to start school.” Her first day is “‘[m]aybe a little bit scary, but lots of fun,’” as she explains to her family – her Dad and Cat. The next day turns out to be even better because she meets Ella: “You couldn’t find a better friend than Ella. She and Dani stuck together through wet and dry, sun and rain, thick and thin.”
But then Ella moves away, and Dani’s happiness falters. Missing Ella makes Dani remember how she “used to have a mother who lived there, too, but she had passed away.” While she knows Ella didn’t die as her mother did, Ella is, in effect, gone. At least for now. School, especially, is no longer the same happy place.
Little by little, Dani regains her happiness – her father, her grandmother, and her Italian relatives all help. Mixed in with “things [that] had gone wrong,” Dani realizes she’s still “probably the happiest person she knew but not all the time”; she learns that part of being “happy many times in my life” includes not-so-happy experiences, too.
Swedish author Rose Lagercrantz creates a gently realistic reminder that a happy story doesn’t need to be a saccharine-coated fairy tale. Lagercrantz shows how acknowledging hardships, accepting support from others can substantially up the happy-factor. Eva Erikkson, Lagercrantz’s longtime artistic collaborator (over 30 years!), imbues Dani with a full range of emotions; her delightful illustrations endearingly balance every downturned expression with an eventual smile, giggle, and guffaw. For readers of every age, My Happy Life turns out to be quite the meaningful reality check – touching and hopeful, too!
The New York Time's review of the book brings up a couple of interesting points for the American reader:
1. How are girls portrayed in our books? Paul's article praises this book for being "one of those joyous rarities: a book about girls who are neither infallible nor pratfall-prone, but who are instead very real — both admirable and relatable." and continues by pointing out that, "it’s much harder to find stories about “good girls” — a term that too often feels like a pejorative."
2. How is resilience discussed in books or is it? Paul writes: "“My Happy Life” isn’t about death but about how children process negative experiences... It’s about children’s natural and learned resilience, the incredible bouncing back that never ceases to surprise their worn-down parents. The book’s intended readers may not realize they are reading about anything unusually prized, but they will recognize they’re on to something quite splendid. If only all early chapter books were this beautifully conceived."
Questions for teachers to consider:
1. Several books reviewed on this blog have discussed or mentioned death (including this one) (Tricycle, My Father's Arms Are a Boat, The War Within These Walls ) how well do we discuss death in the classroom or is it appropriate? Is there an age requirement?
2. Similar to the previous question, how well do discuss feelings with students? What are the different approaches we use and which books have been or would be the most helpful?
3. How many students in your classroom could relate to Dani on her first day jitters, feeling nervous finding a friend, and the emotions that are involved when a good friend moves away?
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