23 Sep / My Heart Is Laughing by Rose Lagercrantz, illustrated by Eva Eriksson, translated by Julia Marshall
Oh, what delight … longtime Swedish collaborators Rose Lagercrantz (who writes with such open clarity) and Eva Eriksson (who draws with such vibrant whimsy) bring another Dani-adventure to the page. “This is a story about Dani, who’s always happy. She’s unhappy too, now and then, but she doesn’t count those times.” As she showed in her debut, My Happy Life, young Dani has already had plenty of practice turning difficult experiences upside down into joyful, rebounding opportunities.
Like most of us, of course Dani “doesn’t like unhappy. It makes her go to pieces.” But she’s remarkably resilient: “That’s why she makes new endings for stories with unhappy endings.” Her latest at school starts out with a few bumps and too many bruises. Copycat best friends Mickey and Vicky fall in love with Cushion “[a]t exactly the same time.” But Cushion is more interested in “goal-kicking” than being anyone’s boyfriend, although he chooses Dani to give a piece of raspberry gum before he runs off with his buddies.
Even after Dani offers Mickey and Vicky the fruity prize, the jealous copycats wreak unhappy havoc. Their animosity makes Dani miss her moved-away best friend Ella even more, but remembering their fabulous fun always brings back Dani’s happiness. Yet even the very best memories can’t keep Dani from finally reacting to Mickey and Vicky’s bullying. When howling doesn’t stop their painful pinches during lunch, Dani grabs the sauce bottle in retaliation, but the squirt unintentionally lands on their teacher. In the melée that follows, Dani runs out the classroom door, then school, and makes her way home all alone.
When her father finds her behind her locked bedroom door, he’s surprised and concerned … and even more so when the school calls asking that Dani return with apologies. Understandably, Dani isn’t feeling cooperative, but Daddy doesn’t yet know why. Only the smell of delicious pancakes brings a hungry Dani from her room, and only then does Dani reveal what really happened. Daddy to the rescue indeed! Happy begets happy because an even better afternoon surprise will soon have Dani’s heart singing … not to mention her readers just as gratefully gleeful, as well.
Friends and artistic partners for decades, Lagercrantz and Eriksson’s second Dani title is another sparkly story of transforming a difficult situation with optimism and laughter. Dear Dani “is not one to give up hope, even when everything seems hopeless.” Even after so many frustrated tears and hurt feelings (body parts, too!), getting to happy can happen, especially with the support of true friends – old people including parents and teachers can be helpful, too!
Readers: Children, Middle Grade
Published: 2012, 2014 (United States)