Happiness is a Watermelon on Your Head

At the end of the village, behind a green door, Lived happy Miss Jolly, with Melvin her boar. Each morning she'd sit in her tree playing a song, On her cello, while Melvin sang sweetly along.A cauliflower hat, a fish bonnet, a few large animals, a flying boar called Melvin and a whole lot of watermelons. To the villagers who watch her going about her day, it is clear that Miss Jolly is irritatingly happy. Her never-ending cheerfulness leaves three of her neighbours highly confused and jealous, driving them to ridiculous and hilarious measures in an attempt to compete with Miss Jolly in the happiness - and headgear - stakes. Beautiful and insane in equal measure, this wacky book follows three local busybodies on their journey to discover the secret of true happiness. The illustrations are striking for their humour, colourfulness and bizarreness all rolled into one. Oh, and the watermelons rhyme...- REVIEWS - "This is a brilliantly funny picture book to share with any toddler.Parent and child are sure to laugh through it as you meet three rather miserable ladies who live in a completely mad world but by the end of the story they've realised that happiness is a much better way to live! " -- LOVE READING FOR KIDS"With colourful illustrations and a funny storyline this tale is great at capturing how nosy neighbours really can be. Full of creative imagination this is an inspiring story to be loved by all, particularly those who have a love for watermelons!" -- BOOKTRUST"A fun, quirky book about what makes us feel happy or sad." -- JUNIOR MAGAZINE"All sorts of things abound in this completely wacky picture book where everything is just a little bit mad...This is a simply gorgeous picture book by author and illustrator Stella Dreis. The illustrations are a riot of colour with larger-than-life characters that are completely eccentric and fill up every page. This is a gem of a book." -- OUTSIDE IN. "An intriguing title! Three miserable neighbours decide to find out what makes Miss Jolly so happy. They decide it must be her hats, so they try a range of hilarious objects as hats, but none make them happy. What can the secret be?What is 'pink, sticky and worn on the head?' They find out in the end in this zany, fun-filled story in catchy rhyming text" -- PARENTS IN TOUCH"Happiness is a Watermelon on your Head is the most enjoyable rhyme to read out loud to your children since Dr Seuss."Reviewer, Amazon UK"Dreis combines opulent color, comical poses, and a novel composition to create this luscious picture book. Hahn's rhymes are fresh, sprinkled with rich vocabulary. This feast for the eyes and ears should be on everyone's menu." -- SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL. "Happiness is a Watermelon on your Head is a delightfully surreal picture book with a rhyming text provided by Daniel Hahn to complement the lush, fantastical world that Stella Dreis creates so well with her wonderful illustrations. This really seems like one of those perfect collaborations between writer and illustrator that children will adore...The story has a real element of the Lewis Carroll/Alice in Wonderland fantasy about it that makes it delightful to read and share. It is also very funny, both in the words the author chooses, and the way the illustrator chooses to depict the story.The vocabulary and images are rich pickings if you are trying to stimulate children's creativity and engage in their love of off the wall material. " -- MAKING THEM READERS