A Bottle of Happiness, told by Pippa Goodhart is a joyous and resonant fable about the gift of sharing, with unusual and spectacular illustrations by the Iranian artist Ehsan Abdollahi. Inspired by Middle Eastern fabrics, images in watercolour with sharp cubist lines make richly patterned scenes of market squares, village life and dancing. it will make your heart dance, too. – The Sunday Times This is a charming and very uplifting and joyful story with a strong fairy tale feel and unusual illustrations which young readers can try to recreate themselves; their patchwork/collage style is very intricate and eye-catching, and is bound to stand out among other picture books. .. It's a lovely story which will entertain children as well as teach them about how material wealth and happiness don't necessarily go together. – School Librarian This imaginative story will have you hooked from the very first page. The perfect blend of distinctive and original but exquisite illustrations will transport you to another world. It is the ideal combination of light-hearted fiction with morals (like the importance of friendship and true values in life) thrown in for good measure. I would recommend this story to children of all ages; it is an excellent book, whether you're talking family fun or even a reading session in class. This is a heart-warming story for everyone and it will certainly pull all of your heart strings. It is so eye catching and attractive it is the first book I would pick off a crammed bookshelf. – English Association This is a simple fable about friendship, happiness and sharing which celebrates stories and storytelling. The illustrations are particularly striking and highly decorative with rich patterning inspired by Middle Eastern fabrics and a patchwork design with echoes of cubism. Colour is used effectively to contrast the warmth of the happiness on the poor side of the mountain with the drab greyness of the richer peoples on the other side. – Books for Keeps A Bottle of Happiness is a beautifully illustrated book. Ehsan Abdollahi has a strong and distinctive style using the most vivid colours and characters on every page. This book is so visually beautiful I feel it is an object each of us should have on a coffee table, or adorning a shelf. However, the beauty of this picture book extends and connects fully into the words and story too - it is in the style of a traditional fable created by Pippa Goodhart….The writer and illustrator individually call upon their own cultures and knowledge to create the story. This is the first title in the project, and judging by the high standard, we have much to look forward to. – Armadillo Magazine
"A modern yet timeless fable in which a child’s observation sparks a paradigm shift for a society that values individual production and ownership. Two groups of humans live on either side of a mountain, leading disparate lives due to the range of resources available to them: One side catches fish, mines jewels, grows crops, and sells things among themselves, while the other side must eke out a living with crops grown in weak soil. What this second group lacks in material wealth, however, they more than make up for in close-knit community, freely sharing experiences and stories. The book’s child protagonist, Pim―who is never gendered by the text―hails from the storytelling group. One day Pim ventures to the marketplace over the mountain in search of a new story but finds much more. Goodhart’s prose, which captures both the wonder and pragmatism of many folktales, is supported by Abdollahi’s vibrant, detailed patchworklike watercolors. The angular, almost cubist artistic style, featuring paper-white figures with large eyes and elongated limbs, lends the text a surreal, vaguely unsettling affect that echoes its anti-capitalist message. The text placement is visually dynamic in several spreads, though certain other design elements distract rather than support; for example, the cover’s muted gray background clashes with its rounded, colorful display type. A richly illustrated, accessible critique of consumer culture and scarcity mentality. (Picture book. 4-8)"
About the Author
Pippa Goodhart is the author of over a hundred children’s books, including the prize-winning picture book You Choose, and the Winnie the Witch series which she writes under the pen name of Laura Owen. She trained as a teacher, and worked for many years in bookselling before becoming a mother and a writer. She also worte My Very Own Space, Junior Library Guild selection Ehsan Abdollahi is an illustrator and animator from Iran. He teaches at Tehran Art University. Ehsan is inspired by the environment and fabrics of South Iran (where he was born), and uses bold colours and rich patterns in his illustrations.
Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.
There was once a big mountain. They were rich, and they worked hard at getting richer. They had a big market where they sold things to each other. The people on one side of the mountain caught fish and mined jewels and grew crops. The people on the other side of the mountain worked hard too, but their soil was poor, so crops grew less well. They had no sea to fish in or jewels to mine. They grew and made just enough for them all to eat and wear if they shared things. Because they lived together, they loved sharing stories too. They told the same stories over and over again. But, one day, a child called Pim said, “I want to find a new story. I’m going over the mountain to see what’s on the other side.” So Pim and Tiddle the dog climbed right up to the top of the mountain. Then they looked down and saw … “Wow, look at that, Tiddle!” said Pim. Pim and Tiddle ran down to the market. There was more stuff there than Pim had known even existed in the whole world! Pim asked a stall holder, “Please may I eat one of those beautiful fruits?” “What will you give me in return for the fruit?” said the man. “I haven’t got anything,” said Pim. “There must be something that your people have that we don’t,” said a woman. Pim looked at the market people. “I think we have more happiness than you do,” said Pim.“Bring us some of that, then,” said the man. So Pim walked back over the mountain, thinking about how to carry happiness. I’ll catch some laughter, thought Pim. “Uncle Froddie, please will you sing for us?” said Pim. Uncle Froddie sang, and Tiddle danced. People laughed. Pim carefully caught laughter in a bottle. Some music and love slipped in with it. Pim put the stopper into the bottle to stop the happiness from leaking out. Then Pim and Tiddle ran with the bottle of happiness back over the mountain. It was light to carry. “Here’s some happiness,” said Pim, offering the bottle. “Open it up,” said the woman. “I need to see how good your happiness is before I know how many fruits to exchange for it.” “It’s really good,” said Pim. “It’s got laughing and music and love in it.” Pim pulled the stopper from the bottle. Pim tipped the bottle to pour out the happiness, but what came out was…silence and nothing to see. “What a silly child to think that you could bottle laughter and love and music!” scoffed the man. But, “Listen properly!” said Pim. Because now there was laughter! It was bursting and bubbling and spreading from person to person. They were laughing at Pim for thinking that you could catch happiness in a bottle.“You said there was music, too,” said the man. “I can’t hear any of that. I can’t see the love either.” “Listen and look again,” said Pim. “Ha, ha, HA! Ho, ho, HO! Prance and dance and be happy! Waggle your bum and stamp your feet. Clap your hands to mark the beat,” sang Pim. Soon everyone was joining in with the singing and dancing and laughing. When Pim’s song stopped, they hugged each other and laughed some more. After that, the market people shared their food and drink with Pim’s people, and nobody weighed-up the weight of fruit against the weight of happiness. They just shared. The market people were amazed to see that Pim’s people still had lots of happiness, even though they had given away a bottle of it. And when everyone was full of food and drink, there was still a story to share. Pim began the story, “There was once a big mountain …” And you know how that story goes on, because you have shared it with Pim and Tiddle already.
