Making Happy

by Sheetal Sheth, Khoa Le (Illustrator)

Overview

When Leila's mother gets sick, lots of things change for her family. But one important thing stays the same: they still have each other, and they know how to find joy and laughter when they need it most! The poetic, uplifting story and hopeful ending are based on the author's own experience battling cancer as the parent of young children.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781646866236
Publisher:	Barefoot Books
Publication date:	09/20/2022
Pages:	32
Sales rank:	466,472
Product dimensions:	8.50(w) x 10.75(h) x 0.26(d)
Age Range:	6 - 10 Years

About the Author

Sheetal Sheth is an award-winning actress, author, producer and activist. Sheetal focuses on traditionally marginalized communities in all of her work and is a fierce advocate for thoughtful representation. She has starred in over 20 feature films and is the author of the popular Anjali book series. She currently lives in New York City with her husband and two young children. More info at SheetalSheth.com.

Khoa Le is a Vietnamese illustrator and author who has won awards and accolades for books published in her home country and around the world. She has a passion for travel, an eagerness to learn about different cultures and a desire to discover the beauty of the world, which she finds immensely inspiring. Khoa works and lives with her cats. Learn more at KhoaLeArtwork.com.

Editorial Reviews

★ “What a beautiful book” – Youth Services Book Review

“A beautifully rendered story about courage in the face of turmoil” – Kirkus Reviews

“A sympathetic, supportive portrayal of coping with a parent’s illness, from how it can impact daily life and emotions to finding hope and resilience along the way” – Booklist

“Eloquently written and splendidly illustrated with gorgeous tapestry designs” – San Francisco Book Review

“There is something powerful about reading Making Happy with your child, a shared picture book experience that we think will remain in your memories for years and years to come” – Toka Box

From the Publisher

2022-05-25
All Leila wants is for her family to go back to normal.

But Mama’s wigs and scarves are as present as the sickness that surrounds her. Worse, nothing Leila does seems to make it go away, kind of like the sadness and anxiety that sit like an ache in her stomach. But Dad has an idea “to make some happy”—by making a big mess and dancing around the room—and Leila finds new ways of dealing with her jumbled-up feelings. Exploring the complexities that children grapple with when faced with illness in the family, this picture book is ultimately about finding little pockets of happiness. The book could help create a space to talk about illness with children while offering hope in the form of togetherness and empathy. Although the metaphors in the book feel unwieldy at times, the art more than compensates for it. Patterns twist and turn alongside Leila’s feelings, weaving a stunning tapestry that finally blossoms onto the pages as Leila finds small moments of joy and understanding amid sadness. The use of color provides subtle cues to the transformation that Leila undergoes. In an author’s note, Sheth states that she wrote the book while going through chemotherapy; in an illustrator’s note, Le explains that with each book, she works digitally with traditional media and photography and attempts to “use fabrics related to the author’s heritage.” Leila and her family are brown-skinned. (This book was reviewed digitally.)

A beautifully rendered story about courage in the face of turmoil. (Picture book. 5-8)

Kirkus Reviews