Sunshine On My Shoulders! Layla's Happiness by Mariahadessa Ekere Tallie

MY NAME IS LAYLA.

LAYLA MEANS NIGHT BEAUTY AND I LOVE THE NIGHT.

But this exuberant girl loves a lot of things--the moon, climbing a tree, wearing purple, Dad's stories about childhood in South Carolina, or Mom's poetry.

Layla has enough "favorite things" to write her own song, and she has a favorite thing to do in her favorite place, too.

HAPPINESS IS PLANTING A TOMATO SEED AND WATCHING IT GROW IN THE COMMUNITY GARDEN.

There Layla can chase her friend and catch a ladybug on her finger. She can feed chickens and pick vegetables for the farmer's market. But there are also other favorite places and things....

WHEN THE SEA REACHES INTO HER POCKET

TO GIVE ME A SAND DOLLAR....

What's not to like in Layla's life?

How do children grow? They grow with plenty of things to love in their lives, family stories, friends to confide in, and a community that brings them joy.

In Mariahadessa Tallie's new picture book, Layla's Happiness (Enchanted Lion Books, 2019), an effervescent heroine helps readers think about what makes them happy in their lives--sights and sounds, friends and family and favorite foods, and all those ordinary and extraordinary things that bring pleasure to each day. This is a good book to motivate classroom writing and a joyful meditation on life's little joys for all of us, and artist Ashleigh Corrin's lighthearted illustrations are filled with sunlight and an airy inspiration that can bring light to anyone's day.