Happiness is an elusive concept, and to understand it, one must sometimes be unhappy – sad for some reason or other. This is where this book comes in. The child in the story is learning about what happiness is, and for her it is depicted by a jolly pink blob-like creature, that comes along whenever she is at her happiest. Sometimes it hides, sometimes there are too many things in the way and you can’t see it. Sometimes you have to chase it, and there really isn’t any way to keep it in a box or protect it from disappearing: it ‘appears to have a will of its own’. Doing difficult or scary things that you would rather not do can bring it on unexpectedly. It won’t be there always, but in the end will come back no matter what, even after the worst of times. ‘Recognise it and treasure it, because, in the end, Happiness begins with you.’ The illustrations, in soft pastel colours on a white background, reflect the text beautifully. This is a lovely picture book that goes a long way to explaining just what happiness consists of in its own intangible way.