Surprised by Joy: That's When I'm Happy by Beth Shoshan

When it's cold outside and Daddy and I are cleaning up...

And when we take a soft, striped bag and fill it up with leaves...

And when he chooses a leaf just for me, because it is a deeper, darker red than one of the others...

That's when I'm happy.

Beth Shoshan's little story, lovingly illustrated in lavish autumn hues by Jacqueline East, points out that small moments can be the ones that bring greatest joy. Giving the gift of a perfect leaf, counting the stars in the sky--up to 119--and reading the most favorite story in the book with Mommy--those are moments of the simple joy of being alive with the ones we love. Shoshan's That's When I'm Happy (Sandy Creek, 2010) presents such moments in this lovely time capsule for the young reader.