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Description
Juvenile Fiction. Picture Book Fiction. HTML: â?? "A quiet loveliness, sense of gratitude, andâ??yesâ??happiness emanate from this tender celebration of simple pleasures."â??Publishers Weekly, starred review The sun on your face. The smell of warm bannock baking in the oven. Holding the hand of someone you love. What fills your heart with happiness? This beautiful board book, with illustrations from celebrated artist Julie Flett, serves as a reminder for little ones and adults alike to reflect on and cherish the moments in life that bring us joy. International speaker and award-winning author Monique Gray Smith wrote My Heart Fills with Happiness to support the wellness of Indigenous children and families, and to encourage young children to reflect on what makes them… (more)
User reviews
My Heart Fills With Happiness is the first book I have picked up from Canadian author Monique Gray Smith, described on her website as a woman of mixed First Nations (Lakota and Cree) and European (Scottish) descent. I didn't really know anything about the author before picking it up, but being a great admirer of the illustrator, Metis artist Julie Flett, I requested it from the library. I'm glad I did, even though I don't read a great many board books, as I thought it was a lovely little volume. The artwork is (not surprisingly) beautiful, with a deep, satisfying color palette, and many appealing stylized scenes. I think my favorite was the one of the adult male drummer, with a child on his lap, although the scene with the girl twirling in her dress (as seen on the cover) was also quite charming. The cultural context here is First Nations/Native American, with reference to things like bannock - a bread I had always associated with Scotland, but which is also apparently a staple of the indigenous Canadian diet - and drumming. The emotional resonance, on the other hand, with references to such things as holding a loved one's hand, is universal. Recommended to fellow Julie Flett fans, to those looking for children's books with a First Nations context, and to anyone looking for board books addressing happiness and love in a young child's life.
I love Flett's illustrations (I think she's one of my favourite illustrators ever) and just the whole mood of this book was warm and compassionate.
Simple, beautiful representation and brightly-coloured. What more do you want in a book?
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