Wednesday, June 5, 2024

Happy all Over by Emma Quay

Image source: Emma Quay

This book would be a perfect gift of a young child. It is a  book that explores happiness in all its forms in a such a joyous way. Notice the cups on the end papers. 

"Little things all day fill your cup. Happy all day, soak some up."

This is a lively book, and the rhyme reads so well out loud. I love surprises like this:

"A star. The floor. Shapes at the door. Finding there are five when you thought there were four."

On this page the children have found a nest of newly hatched baby birds sitting in their nest. The leaves on the tree match the tissue-like raindrop shaped pieces on the front cover. Take a look here to see inside this book. And in this wonderful video video Emma Quay shows how she made the illustrations for her book.

I do expect to see this book listed as a CBCA 2024 Early Childhood Notable. 

Each page encourages a conversation, each illustration an invitation to have a little chat: Why is that  boy curled up with to his sleeping dog smiling so much? What do you think that girl licking the spoon is eating? What is that girl looking at the moon thinking? The illustrations show Emma’s signature wit and verve. Each child is a compressed bundle of concentration and energy, totally focussed on the moment. This book deserves to be in every home and school library and possibly read every evening. Story Links


I am a huge fan of Emma Quay. IBBY Australia loved her contribution to our recent mini masterpiece art auction. Here are her two of her books that I loved sharing with children in my school library:



Bear and Chook by the SeaBear and Chook by the Sea

And I have previously gifted these to various children and grandchildren:



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