Books like Happy
By Mies van Hout
For the kid who's just starting to notice big feelings in their own body, this is a book that puts a face — or a fin — on every single one. Bold, glowing, and quietly mesmerizing — more art gallery than storybook.
A boy named Nicholas wakes up to find a witch has cast a body-swap spell on him overnight, trapping him inside his cat Leonardo while Leonardo goes off to school in his place.
A gentle tour of homes of every kind — a house in the country, an apartment in the city, a shoe, a boat on the sea, even a home in myth or in an artist's own studio.
A girl in a swimsuit and flippers copies a graceful flamingo's every move, and through twists, turns, and one big flop, the two find their way to a dance in perfect harmony.
A little fish paddles through the underwater world, meeting all kinds of fish along the way — spotty, stripy, happy, grumpy, hairy, scary, even curly whirly and twisty twirly.
A girl and her cat find a portal to another world and meet another version of themselves — a wordless invitation to imagine what's on the other side.
A quiet walk through woods, pasture, and pond becomes a chance to spot birds, insects, and other hidden creatures as die-cut flaps fold out to reveal what's really there.
A house cat slips out once her family is asleep, wandering farther and farther through her neighborhood at night — and every step of her journey turns into a different kind of map.
A drowsy kitten chases a mouse right through a framed poster on the wall, tumbling into a chase across famous artworks and through history — and then must find his way back home.
A boy named Duncan opens his crayon box to find a stack of complaint letters — Blue is exhausted, Black feels misused, and Orange and Yellow are fighting over who's really the color of the sun.
A cast of insects — damselflies, beetles, and a pill bug named Icky — watches a tiny shoot grow into a plant, builds a tree fort in its branches, and faces something horrible that swoops down from above.
Bold die-cut shapes stack and overlap page after page, transforming circles, squares, and triangles into nine recognizable zoo animal faces right before your eyes.
