School Library Journal Review
PreS-K-When Mom asks her uncharacteristically sad daughter what would cheer her up, Sweet Pea responds that she just doesn't know. So she goes on a quest to figure out what makes others happy and finds out that it's a lot of different things. "What makes you happy?" she asks her dog, and the pooch tells her, "Taking a bath!" She repeats her question to a woman with long golden locks, who answers, "Playing with my hair." Stretched out on the ground, nose-to-nose with a mole peeking out of its hole, Sweet Pea asks again, and the creature replies, "Digging." Vibrant solid-color backgrounds vary on each spread, and vivid illustrations, done in ink, watercolor, and digitally, make great use of pattern, line, and perspective to showcase Sweet Pea's encounters with various people and animals. The youngster finally figures out that a lot of things can make others smile and lists some of her own favorites, such as riding her bike, sticking finger puppets on her toes, and slurping spaghetti. While taking a bath with her dog, Sweet Pea also discovers that some things can make you and someone else happy at the same time.-Shelley B. Sutherland, Niles Public Library, IL (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Publisher's Weekly Review
Feeling blue, and stumped as to what might cheer her up, a girl (called "Sweet Pea" by her mother) poses the question "What makes you happy?" to a fanciful array of characters. In his authorial debut, illustrator Menchin (Bounce) cheerily portrays the youngster and respondents in ink and watercolor spreads against pastel backdrops. Sweet Pea's own dog, dressed in a shower cap and carrying a rubber ducky, replies "Taking a bath!," while a rabbit likes to run on a hamster wheel (who knew?) and a woman with a nest of squiggly red hair indulges in adorning it with myriad bows and clips. A droll sense of humor is evident as well: an elderly man perches next to a tree stump, stating that he enjoys "counting," while a dapper gentleman on a park bench demonstrates his love of "stripes" with a comically clashing outfit-and a striped tabby on a leash. Sweet Pea (who herself begins to smile about halfway through her informal survey) gradually realizes that many things make her happy and, in a rebus-like spread, she catalogues more than 20 things that do just that, including "bake cookies with faces," "stick finger puppets on my toes," "slurp spaghetti" and "swim at night." This will likely inspire youngsters who are in a funk to seek joy in the unexpected as well as in the perfectly ordinary. Ages 4-8. (July) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Horn Book Review
A sad girl asks people, animals, and objects what makes them happy. Though her own turnaround is a little random, the girl's conclusions about what makes her happy are joyfully true to childhood: ""I'm happy when I...Ride my bike...Paint on eggs...Stick finger puppets on my toes..."" The ink and watercolor drawings against clean, monochromatic backgrounds are appropriately gleeful. (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted. All rights reserved.
Kirkus Review
Light and humorous, this is a sweet revelation of life's simple and attainable joys. Seeing her young daughter in tears, Mom asks, "What would make you happy?" To which the youngster replies, "I don't know." The girl then begins to survey a variety of people and animals, always asking the same question, "What makes you happy?" and always receiving a unique answer. The dog replies, "Taking a bath!" The rabbit, however, loves the spinning wheel; one wild-haired lady enjoys playing with her crazy locks; the man on the bench finds happiness in stripes. All of this gets the round-faced girl to musing. With her newfound wisdom and her happiness rejuvenated, she can think of many, many things that make her smile. She recalls, among others, how much she likes making faces or staying up late. To striking effect, the illustrations contrast the characters painted in textured watercolors against a backdrop of one vivid color. This gladdening little read can act as a terrific impetus for adults and children to compare and list what brings them everyday happiness. (Picture book. 2-6) Copyright ©Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
