I recently moved into a new office here at Lerner and rediscovered an old friend. My office has a bookshelf packed with Lerner books from past seasons. (You can’t shake a stick in the editorial department without hitting a fully-stocked bookshelf.) On that shelf I found Staying Happy—a book from several seasons back that happens to be one of my all-time favorites.

What makes this book so great? For starters, just look at this cover. Could those kids be any happier? Just looking at them makes me smile.

Also, this book is about emotions. It’s a topic that can make us uncomfortable—yet few things are more important than emotional health. We need to talk about this with kids, and few good resources exist to help us do so.

Last but not least, the content. This book covers:

● What it means to be happy, helping kids identify the feeling in themselves and others
● The fact that it’s natural to sometimes feel sad, lonely, afraid, or worried
● How to identify when you’re experiencing too much stress, and what you can do about it
● The fact that a little bit of stress can be a good thing
● How to invite more happiness into your life—including by using exercise, rest, a healthful diet, and meditation to maintain and increase positive emotions

And all the information was reviewed by a medical doctor, as well as by a professor emerita from the department of health sciences at Illinois State University. 

I couldn’t have been—you guessed it—happier to come across Staying Happy in my office the other day! It reminded me once again of the tremendous pride I have in the books we publish and the invaluable information they offer to young readers.