Book Review: My Happy Life by Rose Lagercrantz

My Happy Life by Rose Lagercrantz is a sweet story about a young girl named Dani who counts the things that make her happy rather than sheep to help herself fall asleep at night. Some of her favorite things include starting school, swapping bookmarks, and breaking her jump-roping record. She has faced sad times, such as when her mother died in the past, and the hurdle of her best friend moving away in the timeline of the book. However, even when Dani is facing life changes and hurdles, she works to find happy things to think about. The line drawing illustrations that are scattered through the book are simple and sweet, a perfect match to the words of the story.

My Happy Life is a simple read, with a sweet little message about looking for the happy moments in life even when facing problems that make you feel like you will never feel happy again. The story itself is simple, Dani faces some big challenges, like accidentally hurting a friend at school and her best friend moving away. However, like most children is adaptable and finds a way to move forward and find new things to make her happy. I did think that the story might have been a little too simple, the details of many things are left out and occasionally I felt like I was getting a summery rather than a full story.

My Happy Life is a book for young, independent readers. It is an easy read and accessible to all ages. It might be a good conversation starter for those trying to introduce the idea to children about focusing on the positive in life, or following Dani's lead and counting happy thoughts to fall asleep at night.

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