But all good things must come to an end, and Danis world crumbles after Ella moves away. Until her friends departure, Dani used to go to sleep counting all her happy times. Now she no longer can. Dani is deeply sad and one of this books strengths is that it doesnt shy away from childhood grief. Dani misses her friend and although her teacher and father try their best to make her feel better, things go from bad to worse. In the days that follow Dani skins her knee, is tackled playing soccer, and feels terribly guilty after injuring a boy during a class free-for-all. Slowly, though, Dani regains her old cheerful self. She makes new friends (although none can take Ellas place). She gets two hamsters. Finally, she receives a letter from Ella and an invitation to see her new home. Joy.
Translated from Swedish by Julia Marshall, the books twenty easy-to-read short chapters explore the day to day life of a young child, respecting each experience, from the small joys of jumping rope 500 times to the larger issues of death and loss.
"Dani used to have a mother who lived there too, but she passed away. Thats what people said when someone died. They said she had passed away, but how could a dead person pass anything? And away to where?"
The pen-and-ink illustrations are full of life and vitality, just like Dani. Eriksson manages with just a few strokes of her pen to capture a multitude of expressions on the childrens faces. The world she creates rings true and subtly adds to the story. Just by looking at the illustrations of Danis teacher we know shes great at her job.
A treasure of a book!
My Happy Life
by Rose Lagercrantz
illustrations by Eva Eriksson
Gecko Press, 134 pages
Published: 2013 (U.S. edition)
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