So Happy!

by Kevin Henkes, Anita Lobel (Illustrator)

Overview

There once was a boy, a rabbit, a magic seed, and a book...

The boy, who was bored, went looking for something to do.

The rabbit, who was curious, explored until he was lost.

The seed was thirsty, but soon it grew and grew and grew.

And the book? Turn the pages! It will make you so happy.

"A satisfying look at the interplay of nature, time, and love." (Publishers Weekly)

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780060564834
Publisher:	HarperCollins
Publication date:	02/15/2005
Pages:	32
Product dimensions:	8.25(w) x 11.00(h) x 0.25(d)
Age Range:	4 - 8 Years

About the Author

Kevin Henkes has been praised both as a writer and as an illustrator and is the recipient of the Children’s Literature Legacy Award for his lasting contribution to literature for children. He received the Caldecott Medal for Kitten’s First Full Moon; Caldecott Honors for Waiting and Owen; two Newbery Honors, one for Olive’s Ocean and one for The Year of Billy Miller; and Geisel Honors for Waiting and Penny and Her Marble. His other books include The World and Everything in It, A House, A Parade of Elephants, Chrysanthemum, and the beloved Lilly’s Purple Plastic Purse. Kevin Henkes lives with his family in Madison, Wisconsin.

Anita Lobel's name is synonymous with the best in children's literature. She is the creator of such classics as Alison's Zinnia and Away from Home, and she received a Caldecott Honor for her illustrations in On Market Street. She is the creator of two books about her cat, Nini, One Lighthouse, One Moon (a New York Times Best Illustrated Book), and Nini Here and There. Her childhood memoir, No Pretty Pictures: A Child of War, was a finalist for the National Book Award. Anita Lobel lives in New York City.

Hometown:

Madison, Wisconsin

Date of Birth:

November 27, 1960

Place of Birth:

Racine, Wisconsin

Education:

University of Wisconsin, Madison

Website:

http://www.kevinhenkes.com

Editorial Reviews

In a rich landscape that could be Mexico or the Southwest, a woman plants a seed; her son can't think of anything to do; and a little rabbit crosses a tiny bit of water "narrow as a ribbon." When the rains come, the seed starts growing, the boy is excited, and the rabbit gets "wet and scared." When the rain stops, the boy starts to build a bridge across the creek, now "wide as a door" and green shoots make a flower. There's a rainbow, the rabbit gets home crossing the bridge, and the boy brings the flower to his mother. Everyone was "so happy!" Using very few words, Henkes makes this marvelous, evocative tale sing. Lobel's brilliantly colored watercolor-and-gouache paintings capture both the shadows and the golden light, the hills and the scrub. The mother's dark braids and brightly embroidered clothing contrast nicely with the white muslin of her son's; when the father comes home at the end of the story (after galloping off in the morning), he wears a striped serape and brings his son a book about bridges. Reassuring and beautiful. (Picture book. 4-8)

Kirkus Reviews