The vast and varied feeling of happiness is explored by paired statements that connect it to other emotions and various actions, with illustrations providing visual context for each pairing. Except for the book’s open and close, showing the start of two successive days, most of the pairings are on a single page spread. A dog shown waiting with a leash in its mouth by a door, and then joyfully bounding through a park, accompany “The patience of a dog at the door. The happiness of a dog with a ball in its mouth.” Across the book, the simple statements are carefully crafted, revealing ideas that are sometimes surprising (“The indignity of a cut. The happiness of a scab.”), sometimes surprisingly insightful (“The frustration of hearing No. The happiness of saying No.”). These moments of unexpected connection balance the repetitive, restrained structure of the text. A book that opens with a Black child awakening and being greeted by two dogs closes with a brown-skinned child going to bed, bringing the narrative full circle. Other children are featured across the book’s pages and the 24-hour time span, and a concluding wordless double-page spread gathers many of the diverse children introduced throughout in a playground scene. (Ages 3-7)