Review by Booklist Review
Fans of Pixar's Inside Out should love this zany yet wise exploration of feelings. The title and cover seem to indicate that happiness is the main focus, but the hero (happy) Camper and his sidekick, (happy as a) Clam, traverse some very dark, uncomfortable terrain here. Rash's comic-book art is saturated with intense color (each emotion gets its own color: red for anger, green for fear, etc.) and witty details (like the bwah-bwah sound of a sad trombone) that make this trip through a range of feelings a hoot. Camper, in his Boy Scout uniform, and Clam, a semicircle with two eyes and a big, expressive mouth, move through a series of books, from The Happy Book to The Sad Book to The Scared Book to The Angry Book and, finally, to The Feelings Book. Something in each book triggers the next emotion, and Camper and Clam become immersed in the feeling, while also meeting a new friend, like the wet hen in The Angry Book. Camper and Clam talk about why their feelings have been changing and realize their friendship can overcome any problematic emotions. This comforting conclusion leads them to the final Feelings Book, where they throw a rainbow-themed party for all the book's feelings. Adults should have as much fun reading this as children.--Connie Fletcher Copyright 2010 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
Rash presents a story about the interconnectivity of emotions, presenting each as a distinct realm dominated by a moody primary color. When a yellowhaired "happy Camper," dressed in a scout uniform, eats the entire friendship cake made by best friend Clam, the mollusk woefully rushes through a panel in the bright and sunny "Happy Book" to the inky blue "Sad Book." There, Clam meets bulgyeyed sad Trombone ("Bwahbwah"), picked last for a jazz band. When Camper arrives, misunderstandings and bad feelings lead the characters to the "Angry Book," where a pugnacious red bird resides, and then to the "Scared Book." Finally, Camper and Clam arrive in the "Feelings Book," where all of the emotions coexist. Rash's bright, kinetic art captures the intensity of feelings, while the moodfluctuating characters demonstrate emotions' ephemerality. Ages 3-7. (Feb.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Review by Kirkus Book Review
Best friends Camper (as in "happy Camper") and Clam (as in "happy as a") explore a wide range of feelings in a colorfully metafictive outing.Camper and Clam introduce themselves in the yellow opening pages. Camper, a white child in a scouting uniform, dances in a field of daisies; Clam, a land-going bivalve, bakes a friendship cake. When Camper proceeds to selfishly eat all the cake, Clam is hurt and upset. Opening a door in what looks like yellow endpapers, Camper enters The Sad Book and finds Clam in a blue setting amid broken hearts, clouds, and rain. Camper tries to coax Clam out of the sad pages, but Clam continues to sulk, prompting a miffed Camper to walk through the door leading to the red landscape of The Angry Book. Amid the red pages, Camper confesses, "I'm angry that I can't make you happy and scared we won't be friends anymore." Clam replies, "I'm scared too, Camper. Let's go in here," and they enter the green pages of The Scared Book. There, they realize that as long as they are together, feeling afraid is not so bad. Resolution occurs when they enter The Feelings Book, a rainbow environment where a party with all emotions is taking place. Black-outlined colorful cartoons maintain a quirky silliness throughout the dialogue-only narrative. Secondary characters Trombone, Wet Hen, and (fraidy) Cat add an extra layer of fun.Perceptively encourages readers to express emotions honestly to themselves and others. (Picture book. 4-6) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
