No es mi favorito de Mr men pero está lindo. Habla de cómo Mr feliz ayuda a Mr triste a ponerse feliz con su compañía y riendo. Al final, da el consejo de que cuando estés triste solo sonrías. Por eso le puse tres estrellas, porque creo que hubiera sido mejor señalar que está bien sentir tristeza, que es pasajera y que la sonrisa regresa después. No solo aconsejar sonreír porque eso no alivia la tristeza por si solo.

MADE ME SO SO SO HAPPY I LOVE THIS BOOK RECCOMEND TO ALL YOU HAPPY SOULS OUT THERE

A2 wanted a bedtime story tonight, A1 didn't--so, while A1 was pestering Gramma Patsy, I read A2 her picked out book (Mr. Happy), along with another story, "Jack's Bean Problem" from The Stinky Cheese Man and other Fairly Stupid Tales". Aleyda said she liked "Mr. Happy" better than "Jack's Bean Problem". Anyway, this is a story about Mr Happy (who is fat, round and happy), a place called Happyland (must have legalized marijuana some time ago), smiling mice, cats, dogs, and even a worm, and of course the supporting character of the story, Mr Miserable (who must have just found out his real cost of the "Affordable Care Act", passed by a congress that didn't have time to read the bill before they passed it, and now has an approval rate so low that mathematicians haven't yet come up with a number to describe it). Anyway, I gave it a three because I thought it was "OK", Aleyda said four because, as she stated, "I liked it!" This is my review, so my rating gets precedence.

While in the modern western world man chases fame, fortune and the respect of his peers, in more archaic cultures the ultimate pursuit is for a greater level of understanding or some kind of connection with a higher force. Whatever the culture, man does this for a single reason: because he thinks it will make him happy. This pursuit of happiness is the meaning of life, the always just-out-of-reach goal for humans the world over.

Mr. Happy, the fourth member of the Mr. Men family, is in a state of perpetual happiness. Quite how this state of happiness has been achieved is unclear. He lives in a house of a similar size and style to that of the other Mr. Men we have already met. He displays no obvious trappings of wealth or success, no enviable family from which he may derive some kind of pride or worth and offers no insight, wisdom or religious beliefs.

Happy, we are told, lives in a land called "Happyland" in which all the people, the birds, even the worms are happy. One begins to wonder if our hero is a member of some kind of cult. The next notion is that perhaps My. Happy is under the influence of some kind of narcotic which makes him THINK that the birds and the worms are conversing with him and confirming that they too are enjoying life to the full. So many questions and (given that this is short-form fiction) so little time for answers.

After the scene has been established, Mr. Happy goes for a walk whereupon (and with a nod to the great CS Lewis) he discovers a tiny red door in the trunk of a tree. Behind the door is a small room in which we meet Mr. Happy's alter-ego, Mr. Miserable.

Mr. Miserable is suffering from a textbook case of agoraphobia. And whilst Miserable doesn't obviously experience any kind of panic attack during the course of the story he is clearly displaying symptoms of anxiety. Mr. Happy, with an alarming lack of caution, attempts to win his new patient's trust and prescribes a course of exposure treatment. Happy leads Miserable outside and encourages him to engage with the world.

Whether Miserable actually exists, or is just a manifestation of the buried emotional distress, doubts and fears of Mr. Happy - that's left up to the reader to decide. However, to diagnose our hero as suffering from schizophrenia would be perfectly justified - and the classic 'voices in the head' symptom would certainly solve the talking birds/worms quandary.

In the end though, it matters not how you choose to translate or frame the fable. Mr. Happy is a profound tale - a story that reaffirms the value of human friendship and appeals to society to recognise the devastating affect of mental illness. It's a plea for us to tackle these issues and to those in throe to depression, it's a simple message that there are people who care and who can help.

Simply choosing to tackle a subject and a message of such gravity in a form more suited to frothy, flimsy stories is shocking. What's more shocking however, is the apparent ease and aplomb Hargreaves displays whilst dealing with this thorny issue. Hargreaves isn't just an author of children's fiction, he's a poet, a social activist, the voice of reason and, surely for some... a lifeline. It is our duty to cherish and champion his work.

heheheheheh
i love these books!

Ive read more books than Isobel this month now

Mr Happy is always happy always looking on the bright side of things. He'll help you turn the frown upside down any day!

Low key such a hard read took me a bit. So much character growth from Mr. Happy. I don’t no why they recommend these books for kids this should be for honors level english classes.

Re-read

We appear to have found a Mr. Men book with a useful ending! There is something to be said about socialising/change of scene/travelling to put you into a more positive mood. I know this is not the most helpful of advices for those with depression for example, but I'll happily give the story a free pass here because it's introducing basic self-care and care-for-others to kids.

I'm I thinking too hard about this series? You betcha.

My niece loves the Mr Men series and this is a really lovely addition - what happens when My Happy meets Mr Miserable. Especially good to read when you are feeling a little down in the dumps!

I am not a fan of these Mr or Mrs books...I found this one to go on and on....there is no way I could call this a bedtime story

Another great book for kids!

Mr. Happy finds a doorway that leads to Mr. Miserable. Mr. Happy takes him back to Happyland and slowly but surely, Mr. Miserable can't seem to stay miserable.

This is a good book to read for a child who needs to turn that frown upside down!