Taking a bath with the dog and other things that make me happy by Scott Menchin - review

Taking a bath with the dog and other things that make me happy by Scott Menchin
Our pirate-kerchiefed little girl is sad today. Her ma asks her, "What would make you happy?" and she is so sad that she can't think of anything that will make her happy. I know that feeling, and I've seen my kids get that feeling.

Luckily, she does something about it: she asks the moon, and a lady with crazy hair, and her dog, and a snake, and everyone else, "What makes you happy?" Just hearing other people sharing their idea of happiness takes her out of her bad mood, and when her ma asks her, "Did you find out what makes you happy?" she answers with a catalog of activities both shared and solitary, physical and mental, creative and silly, including, yes, taking a bath with the dog.

Prescriptive without being dogmatic, Taking a bath with the dog will be a great book to have around for the grumpy day, the day when the play date cancels or the demolition derby is rained out. Everybody has those days.