Layla's happiness

PreS-Gr 2--Tallie honors the many ways children define happiness. Seven-year-old Layla, an urban-dwelling brown-skinned girl, narrates in a voice that is authentically childlike and lyrical as she describes the experiences and connections that bring her enjoyment and contentment. She describes interactions with the natural world, special times with her parents and friends, with the small pleasures of autonomy and the deep joys of life connected to others. The urban setting and diverse neighborhood make the title instantly relatable to a broad audience. Handwritten with one entry per page, like a particularly well-made journal or bucket list, Layla's litany of high points is illustrated by Corrin in full-page bleeds. The digital artwork has the feel and appearance of block-print and hand-coloring, with deep tones that serve to anchor and extend the engaging text. The child shares her thoughts about happiness with readers and wraps ups by asking, "What is happiness to you?" VERDICT A handsome and helpful primer on self-reflection and a mirror to urban black and brown children, this joyous title could be well paired with Samantha Berger's What if….--Lisa Lehmuller, Paul Cuffee Maritime Charter School, Providence

Affirmations of black childhood abound, and whimsical wishes float like dandelion fluff.Seven-year-old Layla, wearing long, thick braids and a bright yellow dress, talks about what makes her happiest: dark purple plums, the full moon, and night's darkness, shedding positive light on what often gets portrayed negatively. Appropriately, Layla's name means "night beauty." Though clearly an urban dweller, Layla loves the outdoors. She climbs trees, hangs out near a stream to hear her dad's stories of his South Carolina childhood, and tends vegetables and feeds chickens in their community garden. She even brings the outdoors inside with a makeshift tent, in which her mom reads poetry aloud to her. This book's language clearly reveals the hand of a poet. Tallie's metaphorical language evokes imagery that encourages young readers to dream and look both within and around them to find their own sources of happiness. Layla marvels that "the sea reaches into her pocket to give me a sand dollar" and chooses the full moon as her favorite thing because "it sits in the sky like a wish flower's sister." Equally as imaginative as the lyrical text, Corrin's boldly colored, textured illustrations beautifully capture the buoyant spirit of Layla, a brown girl exuding confidence, comfortable in her own skinindoors and out. Well-illustrated poetry of the best kind that will leave sunshine in its wake. (Picture book. 3-8) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.