HAPPY ALL OVER

This cheery Australian import invites readers to appreciate the small moments that make up a day.

As Quay speaks to the importance of everyday pleasures, droplets splash throughout her artwork; they spurt from a water fountain in a colorful arc (“little things, / all day, / filling us up. / Happy on tap— / a half-full cup”) and hang from the ceiling as a light bulb during a snuggly story time (“happy in a stream. / Happy in a trickle. / A lap. / A gap. / A flap. / A tickle”). A diverse group of children blow bubbles, go swimming, and gather for storytime; the droplets cluster like leaves among the tree branches and can be glimpsed in the flicker of a flame on a birthday candle or a dollop of ice cream on a sugar cone. Quay’s loose-lined watercolor strokes quiver with whimsy, accompanied by bouncy, staccato rhymes; even readers too young to fully understand the intended message will delight in these sounds. Details that reflect the book’s Australian origins—a seed is referred to as a “pip,” and children play the board game Snakes and Ladders—are effortlessly folded into the playful narrative.

A needed reminder that simple pleasures bring the most joy.