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Taking a Bath with the Dog and Other Things that Make Me Happy by Scott Menchin
"Will likely inspire youngsters who are in a funk to seek joy in the unexpected as well as in the perfectly ordinary." — Publishers WeeklyWhat do you do when it seems as if nothing will make you happy? For one little girl, it’s a good time to take a survey, from subjects including a quick little rabbit (running around in a wheel) and a snazzy centipede (shoes, lots of shoes). Scott Menchin’s amusing story and his whimsical characters show us that doing what we love best can bring the biggest smiles of all.
Paperback
First published June 12, 2007
3 people are currently reading
78 people want to read
About the author
Scott Menchin
19 books14 followersScott Menchin is the author-illustrator of TAKING A BATH WITH THE DOG and OTHER THINGS THAT MAKE ME HAPPY, which received the Christopher Medal. He also illustrated SONG OF MIDDLE C by Alison McGhee and MAN GAVE NAMES TO ALL THE ANIMALS, an award winning children’s book based on a hit song by Bob Dylan. Scott Menchin lives in New York City.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 50 reviews
March 25, 2025
Very cute. I love that it's simple things, mostly non-material, that make all the interviewees happy. And I love that there's a spread with a whole list of things most any of us can try. And that we don't have to learn why this child is unhappy... everyone has their own griefs, and everyone can just have a bad day, too. I do wonder what's up with the head scarf though.
I enjoyed this on openlibrary.org (Internet Archive).
I enjoyed this on openlibrary.org (Internet Archive).
February 11, 2020
This is a humorous tale about the things that make different people happy. I discovered this book through the Tumblebooks online resource, available through our local school library system.
The narrative is short and entertaining and the illustrations are colorful, although a bit too rudimentary for my taste. I love that the mom calls her daughter 'Sweet Pea,' as that was a nickname my mother-in-law gave to my oldest daughter when she was very young.
The narrative is short and entertaining and the illustrations are colorful, although a bit too rudimentary for my taste. I love that the mom calls her daughter 'Sweet Pea,' as that was a nickname my mother-in-law gave to my oldest daughter when she was very young.
November 21, 2018
Things that make you happy
September 6, 2014
"Taking a bath with the dog" by Scott Menchin is a fun, simple yet entertaining book. This book goes around full circle. It start with the mother asking the child why she is isn't smiling and ends with both the mother and child smiling. The little girls goes on a quest to find out what makes her and others happy. She asks animals and people what make them happy. After reading the book i was smiling it such a cute book. The author was clever in choosing which animals to use for example, the child goes to a mole rat digging a hole on the ground and asks, "What makes you happy?" The animals and words she uses all complement each other which can make a child know or guess what makes them happy before you even finish reading the page.
The pictures are simple but explainable. The colors are bold and very colorful. The animals look so realistic, the pictures are also overly large to catch the attention of the child. The author also wrote some side notes at the end of the book explaining why he wrote this book, his explanation is something we all look forward to knowing. I personally really like this book and would read it to a child who is unhappy or sad.
The pictures are simple but explainable. The colors are bold and very colorful. The animals look so realistic, the pictures are also overly large to catch the attention of the child. The author also wrote some side notes at the end of the book explaining why he wrote this book, his explanation is something we all look forward to knowing. I personally really like this book and would read it to a child who is unhappy or sad.
December 3, 2013
Genre- Children's Picture Books
This cute text starts out with a girl crying (for reasons unknown) and then taking her mother's advice to find out what makes her happy. The plot is simplistic and to the point, but the innocence of the girl combined with the happy characters captures the reader. The book is similar in style to the famous "Are You My Mother?" with the main character asking the same simple phrase over and over again until she accomplishes her goal.
Though not noteworthy for use as a mentor text in the classroom, this fun book does show the lesson of persistence and the art of finding joy in the simple things in life.
This cute text starts out with a girl crying (for reasons unknown) and then taking her mother's advice to find out what makes her happy. The plot is simplistic and to the point, but the innocence of the girl combined with the happy characters captures the reader. The book is similar in style to the famous "Are You My Mother?" with the main character asking the same simple phrase over and over again until she accomplishes her goal.
Though not noteworthy for use as a mentor text in the classroom, this fun book does show the lesson of persistence and the art of finding joy in the simple things in life.
August 13, 2007
Sweet Pea is feeling sad today, so she sets out to find what makes other people happy. Taking a bath makes her dog happy. Counting tree rings makes the old man in the park happy. Shoes make the centipede happy. All of these things remind Sweet Pea that there are lots and lots of things that make her happy - especially taking a bath with the dog! What makes you happy?
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July 7, 2008dude, when the word "dog" is in the book's title, the dog should be on more than just two pages of the book! This is a cute book about a girl trying to figure out what makes her happy by asking other people and animals what makes THEM happy . . . but some of us dog lovers were hoping it was ABOUT a girl and her dog, not just mentioning the dog in passing.
July 14, 2011
My 3 year old loves this book.
January 20, 2018
This book was found in the Tumbleweed section of our library. You can just read the story, or have the narrator read it for you. The part that is being read is turned to red. The narrator is very dramatic, more than I like. At the end of the story there is a list of the words used in the book.
This story is about a little girl, who looks unhappy to her mother. The child goes about her day, asking others what makes them happy. At the end of the day she tells her mother a big list of things that make her happy.
I thought this was a good book, and tells children of the many every day things that can make you happy.
This story is about a little girl, who looks unhappy to her mother. The child goes about her day, asking others what makes them happy. At the end of the day she tells her mother a big list of things that make her happy.
I thought this was a good book, and tells children of the many every day things that can make you happy.
January 16, 2021
The main character looks upset. Their Mother asks, “What would make you happy?”. The child doesn’t know, so they ask other people what would make them happy. Then the child comes up with a long list of things that makes them happy. This is a good book to open a conversation about enjoying the things in our lives.
Tags: Happiness -- Questions and answers -- Parent-Child relationship -- mental health
May 29, 2024
A simple story about finding what makes you happy. Solid illustrations, nothing too remarkable but not art I hated either. Lots of repetition in the text, with the child asking the question to all sorts of people about what makes them happy. The repeated question and the subject matter both open up some audience participation possibilities. I can see using this as a discussion starter for older kids too, to start talking about things that make them happy or sad.
October 16, 2018
A book about a sad girl asking her friends and neighbors what makes them happy. It's a book about self-care that encourages honesty and play without dismissing more difficult feelings, accompanied by simple, emotive pictures. A good one to include if you're looking for books on emotions for the very young.
April 29, 2020
Lovely little book that helps children think about what makes them happy or what makes them feel better when they are feeling down. It's a simple book that teaches us that it's good to take time for ourselves in order to feel better. It also helps them think of things if they are feeling stuck. Normally I don't like the repetition of a question, but I appreciated it in this book because it helps children to keep thinking about what might make them happy.
February 24, 2021
(Christopher Award) I enjoyed reading this book and thought it was so cute! I think it's important to check in on children and their emotions. I liked how the main character asked different animals and things about what made them happy then when her mom asked later in the book about what made her happy, she had come up with a whole list of things.
December 20, 2018
Character interviews others about what makes them happy and then lists things that make her happy.
August 3, 2022
Read this almost every year with my students during our first intro lessons. Especially PK!
August 17, 2023
This would be a good book to read to a little one who is having an unhappy day. It's a really cute little story.
January 17, 2025
Good book to read to class and add journal writing afterwards.
April 9, 2021
(for children's literature)
November 5, 2011
"Taking a Bath with the Dog and Other Things that Make Me Happy" is a picture book and was published in 2007. The book is geared towards the age group of children in N-P. Sweet Pea, as her mother calls her, is on the verge to see what makes people and animals happy. Her dog and other arange of animals and neighbors have many different answers. They all are illustrated in the book as what makes them happy, for example, the dog is pictures with a shower cap on and says that bathes make it happy.
I rated this book with a 5 star rating because the plot was nice for little children. The plot was funny, mostly because of the animals speaking back. I have neighbors that read this book every night before the go to bed, their ages are 5 & 7. Just seeing their face light up through-out the whole book, its worth 5 star rating. Also, because of the fantastic illustrations. The animals and the watercolor back drops are a great hit with the children. I would love to have this book in my classroom when I become a teacher.
I rated this book with a 5 star rating because the plot was nice for little children. The plot was funny, mostly because of the animals speaking back. I have neighbors that read this book every night before the go to bed, their ages are 5 & 7. Just seeing their face light up through-out the whole book, its worth 5 star rating. Also, because of the fantastic illustrations. The animals and the watercolor back drops are a great hit with the children. I would love to have this book in my classroom when I become a teacher.
August 10, 2016
Menchin's tale features a little girl that searches for happiness. She asks lots of different animals, objects and people what makes them happy. After hearing all of their responses, she finally realizes the many things that make her happy. She also realizes that her happiness makes her mother happy. Children will enjoy the repetition in the question "What makes you happy?" They will also identify with many of the activities in the exhaustive list of things that make the little girl happy. The book would a way to encourage print motivation and promote social and emotional development as children learn to overcome sadness.
Want to read
December 6, 2014Sometimes we find it difficult to find happiness in our life. This is a good book to steer children in the right direction of not only being happy, but finding what makes them happy as well. Sweat Pea starts the story being upset with her mother asking why. She didn’t know so she asks people what makes them happy. With the help of everyone she asked, she makes her mom happy.
August 14, 2007
A great book that will invite children to think about what is happiness and what makes them happy. It will also help children realize that there are simple things in daily life that make people happy.
November 19, 2007
As little Sweet Pea surveys her community about what makes them happy she begins to come up with a list of her own. Simply told with complimentary illustrations, this is a good story-time book and is sure to prompt discussion about what makes the kids happy.
April 23, 2008
This is a funny little book about a girl who is sad so she asked some friends, animal and human, what makes them happy. By the end she is happy too! The page with the centipeade who says shoes makes him happy never failed to get a laugh!
September 12, 2010
Sometimes the simple things are what makes us most happy, like listening to your favorite Bob Dylan cd, smelling coffee or hearing a good joke. Simple illustrations but oh so cute. It made me happy to read this book. What makes you happy?
September 24, 2010
This is a super cute book I read to my Kindergartners. The level and length is perfect for early in the year. It has a repeating line-- What makes you happy? We used this as an authors craft book and followed it with a writing activity. Write about what makes you happy.
February 10, 2012
After reading this, we each named one thing that makes us happy. The preschoolers surprised me - while one gave "Iron Man" and another gave "princesses" as answers, many said things like "playing with my sister" or "playing baseball" or "my mom." A great book for "Feelings/Emotions" storytime!
December 19, 2016
Read at Preschool Story Time on 7/13/12: http://storytimesecrets.blogspot.com/...
Read during Pre-K class visit on 9/28/12: http://storytimesecrets.blogspot.com/...
Read during Pre-K class visit on 9/28/12: http://storytimesecrets.blogspot.com/...
January 28, 2015
This book went even better than I thought it would. There is a wide variety of ways to participate which is refreshing after making so many animals noises. And the kids love the silliness of the idea of taking a bath with the dog.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 50 reviews