Happy with Me [Hardcover]

Leo Timmers (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 1, 2002 | Age Level: 4 and up | Grade Level: P and up

Join in the fun-filled fantasies of one little boy who just can't stop himself from becoming all the animals he reads about. In short order, he's a big, strong elephant, a splashing penguin, a twisted-up octopus, a snail who takes it easy, a super sniffing dog and a high-flying bird. After a night of adventurous dreams, he decides that he's pleased to be just the way he is. Leo Timmers' witty story and bold and colorful artwork delightfully capture what it's like to be something other than yourself...if only for a night!

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

"All day long I'm me, but every night I don't have to be. I just open my favorite book, Look at the pictures, And before I know it, I'm dreaming," begins Belgian author/artist Timmers's bedtime adventure. The theme may be well worn, but the illustrations are imaginative and accomplished. The opening spread features large black type on the left; below, a silver dollar-size circle contains one element (in this case, a teddy bear) of the larger illustration on the right. Framed in white, a portrait shows the boy in bed with his book, sporting a red baseball cap. A matching red background done in thick, vigorous brushstrokes seems to billow like clouds from the bed, where the boy pulls a black-and-white-checked blanket to his chest. Successive spreads show the fellow transformed into various animals an elephant, a penguin, an octopus always sporting the red cap. "With eight long arms that wind around each other, I'd have as much fun as four kids together!" accompanies a painting of the octet of appendages busily undertaking as many activities. The next page shows the downside: his tentacles twist around him in a knot. After dreaming that he's a golden bird falling from the sky, the child wakes from his dream to "a brand new day. I think it's time for me to be... Me!" With a parting wink, the artist's final image shows a trail of yellow feathers following the boy across the room. Highly visual and plenty of fun. Ages 4-8.
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

Gr. K-2. Drawing inspiration from his bedtime story, a young boy dreams about becoming each of the animals he reads about. In typical kid fashion, he embraces the idea of becoming, for example, "An octopus! With eight long arms that wind around each other, I'd have as much fun as four kids together! And think how much faster I could get everything done!" Then for every animal he comes up with a reason it wouldn't be as much fun as he thought. In this case, he envisions those eight long arms getting all twisted up, "and untying knots can be such a problem." Each animal is given two spreads, the first depicting the joys of being the animal, the second showing the down side. As the title indicates, the story ends with the boy's proclaiming he is happy just being himself, "At least until tonight." Timmers uses light and shadow to achieve great depth and dimension, and the brilliant colors will attract attention from across the room. As a follow-up, invite kids to write about or draw a picture of an animal they might like to become. Lauren Peterson
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 4 and up
  
• Hardcover: 32 pages
• Publisher: Tallfellow Press (March 1, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1931290083
• ISBN-13: 978-1931290081
• Product Dimensions: 10.7 x 8.3 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.5 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,239,513 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars Great book, February 13, 2007

By 

Joe Obermeyer (Amboy, MN USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Happy With Me (Hardcover)

Great story, with a great message of being happy with who you are, and not being different. The pictures in this book are remarkable, and unforgetable. This book is deffinitly a must read in childrens books.

5.0 out of 5 stars A truly delightful bedtime story for kids, May 18, 2002

By 

Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Happy with Me (Hardcover)

Happy With Me is an fully engaging and entertaining picturebook story written by Leo Timmers and filled with his amazing, artistic and slightly post-modern color illustrations about the joys and fantasies a young boy has in his dreams. In dreams, the boy can become any creature he's read about, from a strong elephant to soaring bird to a deep-sea octopus. Happy With Me is enthusiastically recommended as a truly delightful bedtime story for kids ages 3 through 6.