In Search of Happiness

Gr 2–4—The people of Prudence were never unhappy, because they never did anything new. "They never played with their toys (for fear of breaking them). And they never went on trips (for fear of getting lost). So, as they never visited the unknown, they were never disappointed." One boy, Kalim, longs for an adventure. He ignores the advice of his grandfather, who prefers to listen to the dependable metronome. Instead he follows a songbird that promises to lead him to the Land of Happiness. They visit a variety of places, including one in which candy grows on trees, and he learns that sometimes it can be hard, sometimes too sweet, but other times delicious. Each time, he is convinced that he has reached the Land of Happiness, but the bird leads him on. At every location, he writes to his grandfather, who longs to join him but doesn't dare. Finally, Kalim realizes that happiness is not about places but about people, and he returns home. Grandfather realizes that he will be happy with Kalim even if his feet hurt and he might catch a cold, and the two go adventuring together. The message in general is a positive one, but the book falls into that limbo of picture books for which it is difficult to determine an appreciative audience. The length and subtlety of the text and the sopistication of the illustrations will be off-putting to the primary-grade crowd, and older children will avoid the format. The illustrations have a dreamlike quality, and sometimes veer into the slightly nightmarish. The book might work with older children in a venue where discussion is possible. All in all, an additional purchase.—Grace Oliff, Ann Blanche Smith School, Hillsdale, NJ