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Joy

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Ferns Nanna has not been herself of late. And when Mom remarks that all the joy seems to have gone out of her life, Fern decides to fetch the joy back. With her catching-kit at the ready, she goes to the park and finds joy in all sorts of unusual places. Whooooshh! But Fern soon realises that joy doesnt fit in a bag, or a box, or a tin! How will she manage to bring some back to Nanna? Emotional, funny, and uplifting, this beautiful picture book is a pure delight from start to finish. A wonderful story that is guaranteed to bring a bit of joy into everyones life.

32 pages, Paperback

First published June 27, 2018

1 person is currently reading
143 people want to read

About the author

Corrinne Averiss

32 books6 followers
Corrinne is the author of My Pet Star, winner of the Sainsbury’s Children’s Book of the Year, shortlisted for Stockport and Dundee Children’s Book Awards and in over 450,000 homes as part of Booktrust’s Pyjamarama campaign.

She is drawn to themes of identity and belonging in her books and aims to deliver big feelings with humour and tenderness

Her first book, A Dot in the Snow, illustrated by Fiona Woodcock, was shortlisted for the CILIP Greenaway award, featured on CBeebies’ Bedtime Stories and in The Sunday Times’ Books of the Year.

She is the author of Joy, Hope, Sorrel and the Sleepover, The Boy on the Bench and Floss the Playground Boss, with a further three titles publishing in 2021.

Corrinne has spent much of her life being a professional silly person in children’s television; she created the four-time Children’s BAFTA-winning Share a Story competition and has an animated preschool series under commission from CBeebies.

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Displaying 1 - 30 of 101 reviews
Profile Image for Kay.
455 reviews4,667 followers
July 2, 2018
How does this book not have more reviews and ratings? It's amazing.



Joy is what makes your heart happy and your eyes twinkle.



Again, the children's books of today are truly too beautiful and mesmerising. The sheer ingenuity of these books astounds me.



"Joy" is the second children's book this year I've read dealing with grandparents, and it makes my heart so happy. This doesn't deal with a grandparent's illness, but rather their depression. I've never seen this in a children's book before, and it's certainly a welcome topic as it's never spoken about despite its prevalence.



The colours are so warm and the design is beautiful. Fern is designed like a kindly little girl and her grandmother immediately gives off an air of care and love.

"Most of all...she loved her smile."

Fern loves Nanna so much. But Nanna begins to get sicker, tired and seemingly so much older. I can relate so well to Fern.





This book asks the question: what is joy? Fern decides that because the joy has gone out of Nanna's life, it's time to bring it back. Fern tries her best, as a sweet little kid would, to "catch" joy for Nanna from her surroundings. The representation of Fern's idea of joy is a swirling mass of colours - it shows a child's perception of an abstract concept.





Fern comes empty handed and without joy, but tells her grandmother about all the joy she has seen in the world. And it all makes her grandmother so happy. And so, Fern and Nanna spend time making joy in the park.




Conclusion

This book is about elderly depression, a very prevalent occurrence. But this book is also about how important young and kind little souls are in helping older people deal with depression and experience joy.





I received this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review
Profile Image for PattyMacDotComma.
1,778 reviews1,060 followers
July 5, 2018
5★
This one is well named. JOY!
‘What’s wrong with Nanna?’ Fern asked her mum.
‘I don’t know’, Mum replied.
‘It’s like the joy has gone out of her life.’
‘What’s joy?’
asked Fern.
‘Joy is what makes your heart happy
and your eyes twinkle.’


Nanna, looking drab and Fern looking worried

As good an explanation of JOY as any, I reckon. Nanna used to be a colourful, cheery baker of cakes.

Cheery Nanna with her happy cat and Fern

Now, even the cat and the plants seem moody and down in the dumps with Nanna.

Nanna's living room in decline.

Fern is going to try to fix that. The premise of the book is easy enough to understand, and Fern’s attempts to catch or trap some “joy” for Nanna are just the kind of thing a little girl might try.

Fern trying to catching pretty things in a box in the park

But try as she might, she has no luck. So, if she can’t bring the joy to Nanna, she’ll take Nanna to the joy!

Fern and Nanna, wheeling merrily through the park!

And the best sort of outing is a picnic! So we're treated to a delicious-looking happy ending!

Fern and Nanna having a picnic and a nap in the park

A great book to bring joy to anyone, and a wonderful way to show children how they can help other people find joy. Especially for grandparents and grandchildren, of course, but really, we'd all love to be in that park at that picnic, wouldn't we?

Many thanks to NetGalley and Quarto Publishing/Frances Lincoln Children's Books for this delightful preview.
Profile Image for Shai.
950 reviews869 followers
January 24, 2019
Fern and on how she wants to collect all the "joy" in the world and give back it to her Nanna, her grandmother, will touch anyone who reads this astounding story. Those colorful illustrations done by Isabelle Follath are very eye-catching also.
Joy by Corrinne Averiss
The collaboration of the author, Corrinne Averiss, and the illustrator made this book simply amazing because the story and drawings truly connect with each other. I'm a young adult and has no children of own, but I'm quite fond of reading children's story because of how they exude positivity and will leave you smiling after reading. And I hope that the story of "Joy" may also bring happiness to anyone who will read it.
Joy by Corrinne Averiss
Profile Image for Tina Haigler.
327 reviews124 followers
October 7, 2021
What a wonderful book! This gets all the stars! I loved everything about it, the story, the art, even the font used for the words. The little girl is precious and sweet, and the story about her and her grandmother is simply lovely. The art is whimsical and full of color. It appears to be mixed media, using both watercolor and colored pencil, and perhaps even crayon. It was really quite stunning. To be honest I cannot rave enough about this book. It is absolutely adorable. I highly recommend it for all ages and I hope you choose to get your hands on a copy. Your kiddos will love it. I know mine did.
Profile Image for Jane.
387 reviews593 followers
July 2, 2018
Joy is an undeniably beautiful picture book. I was very taken with the illustrations by Isabelle Follath. The use of colour (or lack thereof) to show emotion (or lack thereof) is fantastic. I was really excited to see a story tackling the still often hidden issue of depression. Unfortunately, though, I suspect I'll be in the minority on this, but I didn't love the overall message of the book.



The story follows Fern, who loves spending time with her Nanna. Usually, Nanna has a clean house, is full of fun and smiles, and bakes delicious cakes. Lately, though, Nanna has been not quite herself. Fern's mom explains that Nanna seems to have lost her joy, and this prompts Fern to try to capture some joy to share with Nanna.



Unfortunately, catching joy is more difficult than catching butterflies and Fern is rather upset that she was unable to capture any to share with Nanna. While trying to explain her failings to Nanna, Fern relates all the fun things she did that day and, in doing so, magically and instantly brings joy back to Nanna.



As someone who has seen firsthand how depression can permeate not just the person suffering from the illness, but all of their loved ones, too, I know all too well how easy it is for children caught in its web to blame themselves for the situation. That this story implies that someone can be snapped out of a depressed state simply by being told a happy story does a disservice to those who truly suffer from depression.

I could have really loved this book if it showed a more realistic scenario; perhaps something like happy stories in conjunction with a visit to a doctor gradually help Nanna to find her joy again. But I am uncomfortable recommending this story as it is currently told.

Thank you to NetGalley and Quarto Publishing Group - Frances Lincoln Childrens for providing me with a free DRC of this book.
Profile Image for Carla.
7,640 reviews179 followers
July 16, 2018
Maybe I am reading too much into this book, but here goes. Fern loves her Nana. She is a happy, baker with a wonderful cat. Nana and Fern spend many happy days together. This part of the story is bright and colourful. But, when poor Nana loses her joy, Fern is worried about her and does not know what is wrong. It looks to me, like Nana is having some depression from aging perhaps. Fern asks her mom what joy is, and then she goes to the park to catch some joy and bring it to Nana. Try as she might, she can't catch the joy she feels when she hears a baby laugh from being tickled or when she sees ripples of sun sparkling on the water in the duck pond. When they leave the park and go to grandma's, Fern tells her all about the Joy she found at the park. This makes grandma happy and the colours return to the story. The next day, Fern pushes grandma in her wheelchair to the park and they find Joy together. Read this delightful story with a child or as an adult... you will enjoy it either way. The message about finding Joy in the little things and sharing your joy with others is easy to see. The illustrations match the story so well. When Nana is happy, the illustrations are bright, colourful and fanciful. When she is not happy, the illustrations are dark, bland and sad looking. I love how this is so in sync with the story. A great book for children with grandparents to understand how important spending time with them is. The publisher, Quarto Publishing Group - Frances Lincoln Childrens generously provided me with a copy of this book to read.
Profile Image for Literary Redhead.
2,708 reviews693 followers
June 24, 2019
This sweet sweet story with winsome illustrations captured my heart. Little Fern loves her grandmother and tries everything to get her to smile again. It’s not until she nestles with her Nanna that the smile returns ... just because of how much the little girl means to her. 5/5 for reminding us of the healing nature of love.

Grateful to the Quarto Publishing Group - Frances Lincoln Childrens and NetGalley for the early copy, in exchange for my true review.

#Joy #NetGalley
Profile Image for Laura.
3,243 reviews102 followers
June 28, 2018
Cute, simplistic story about depression.

As you can see here, Ferm remembers when her Nanna was happy.

JOY

But now she is sad.

JOY

So Fern goes off in search of ways to make her happy. She things she can capture the emotion on the wind. It remains elustive. But she finds that she brings joy to her grandmother simply by talking to her, being with her, and that is the greatest gift anyone can give.

JOY

Lovely story about finding simple things to bring you joy, as well as bringing joy to others.

#joy #netgalley

Thanks to Netgalley for making this book available for an honest review.
7,019 reviews83 followers
June 29, 2018
Beautiful book about joy, what it is, where to find it, all in a very visual and easy to understand way for young ones. Really a strong important message here. The illustration are nothing out of the ordinary, but there a pretty and does the work. Well done!
Profile Image for Sara Pourhassani.
Author 11 books44 followers
April 13, 2021
همین تلاش‌های بیهوده‌ی بچه‌هاست که زیباست!
Profile Image for Laura (Book Scrounger).
770 reviews56 followers
July 20, 2018
I really enjoyed the soft and colorful illustrations in Joy even before reading the story, but I loved the story itself just as much.

Fern's Nanna has been acting tired and less energetic lately -- it seems the joy has gone out of her life. Without getting into all the "adulty" explanations about aging and mental health, we simply watch Fern as she tries to physically capture joy in her determined, child-like way. As the reader likely expects, this doesn't work, so Fern tells her Nanna about her troubles. She learns that she can help bring joy to her Nanna by just being herself.

I loved the sweetness and concern that Fern displays for her Nanna, and that in the end, even though she can't fix all of her Nanna's problems (which aren't explained here), she can still help her to experience some joy in the midst of hardship. A very sweet and encouraging book.

(Thanks to NetGalley for the review copy.)
Profile Image for Teresa Kander.
Author 1 book186 followers
July 18, 2018
What a beautiful story--one I can hardly wait to share with my grandkids. Fern realizes that her Nanna doesn't seem happy anymore (wonderfully conveyed in the grayness of the illustrations as opposed to the bright colors when Fern is experiencing joy), and tries to capture some joy to bring to Nanna. After many attempts, Fern feels sad (another gray illustration) when she returns to Nanna, who then has the best line in the whole book--"You bring me all the joy in the world just by being you."
Profile Image for Ginger.
44 reviews1 follower
February 25, 2020
This book is mostly about Fern bringing Joy to her Nanna .

Profile Image for Literary Redhead.
2,708 reviews693 followers
July 3, 2019
“Fern loved her Nanna. She loved her butterfly cakes, her mantlepiece mice and her cat, Snowball. Most of all, she loved her smile.” So begins JOY, and so began my smile as I read the beguiling story of how Fern’s Nanna lost her sense of joy ... and how this darling child restored Nanna’s whooooshh of joy. 5/5 for charming illustrations and a tale that reminds us of the importance of love.

Thanks to the author, Quarto Publishing Group - Frances Lincoln Childrens, and #NetGalley for the review copy. Opinions are fully mine.

#Joy #NetGalley
Profile Image for Trisha.
178 reviews52 followers
June 29, 2018
What a beautiful book!! I am in love with the illustrations!!
Its a lovely book about a little girl who tries to catch joy for her nanna, only to find out its easy to find Joy but hard to catch it for others.
I need a copy of it for my son!! Great book for little kids!
Profile Image for Leslie Basky.
200 reviews
January 23, 2019
Beautiful drawings help create the joy that this little girl sees as she tries to catch joy to share with her grandmother. Would be a great book to share for empathy and friendship.
Profile Image for Mary.
462 reviews
August 15, 2018
I thoroughly enjoyed both the illustrations and the story in Joy, written by Corrinne Averiss and illustrated by Isabelle Follath. In a unique twist on a kindness book, a child (Fern) struggles with how to best help her grandmother find her joy again. Through the illustrations, we feel the emotional changes of both the girl and her grandmother— full colors show us the joy in their lives, and gray-scale illustrations help us feel when that joy is lost. In the end, both Fern and her grandmother realize that joy isn’t tangible, able to be caught or packaged, but rather must be experienced.

With minimal text on most pages and many beautiful full-page spreads, the audience can effectively use the illustrations to delve deeper into making meaning of the story. And be sure to check out the beautiful end papers!

The recommended age range is 4-7, and I feel like that’s accurate. My 2.5 year old daughter enjoyed the photographs, but the story was over her head.

Thank you to The Quarto Group and NetGalley for providing me with Joy in exchange for my open and honest review. All opinions here are my own.
Profile Image for Kay-Leigh.
151 reviews8 followers
August 13, 2018
Fern loves her Nanna and notices when the joy seems to drain from her life. She sets out to catch some joy for her grandmother but, of course, it's not that simple. Fern tells her grandmother about her adventures which seems to lift her spirits... Later, they go to the park together and find lots of joy all around them.
The illustrations were cute and funny (the mantlepiece mice) while also being intuitive and sensitive to the emotions being experienced. I loved the grey juxtaposed against the colourful.
My only concern is that this story might set young people up to feel responsible for the emotions of others when actually they have little or no control over how others feel, especially not adults.
I liked the almost onomatopoeic words... "whoosh!", "bounce", "chuckle chuckle", etc.
Profile Image for Sheila.
Author 1 book8 followers
July 12, 2018
Joy, written by Corrinne Averiss and illustrated by Isabelle Follath, is one of those darling picture books where the words and accompanying artwork have a symbiotic relationship. When Fern’s grandmother, Nanna, feels happy, the colors on the page are vibrant and full of life. The joy that Fern attempts to capture outside for Nanna overflows with colors and swooshes and, well, happiness. Conversely, when Nanna feels down, the illustrations mirror that mood, inviting the reader to search the image for clues to her sadness. This is a fabulous book to teach students that reading goes beyond just decoding the words on the page - meaning is made by taking in the totality the text that lies in front of them.
Profile Image for Faith.
999 reviews7 followers
July 4, 2018
Joy is a charming children's picture book that is sure to amuse adults and children alike, and the illustrator successfully creates engaging images to match the beautiful words.

Fern loves her grandma but notices things have changed and Nanna is more reserved and withdrawn, not as engaged and vibrant as before.

When talking with her mother, Fern learns Nanna's joy seems to have disappeared, for "Joy is what makes your heart happy and your eyes twinkle." As Fern catalogs what brings her joy, I imagine parents reading this with their children will pause to make their own list.

Fern is on a mission to "catch" joy and deliver it to Nanna, but grows discouraged at her failed attempts to literally capture joy: "Finding joy was easy, but catching it was hard." There is a sweet resolution to the book.

I received a free digital ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.
Profile Image for Adrienne.
2,082 reviews16 followers
July 1, 2018
When her beloved grandmother is sad, Fern wants to find a way to bring joy to her. She recognizes joy from the "Whoosh" feeling it gives her, but when she tries to capture it to take to her grandma, it is elusive--but she finds a different way to bring joy to her grandmother.

The illustrations are awesome--pretty and whimsical and perfect for conveying the "whoosh" described in the text. This was a lovely book.

I read a copy from the publisher via #NetGalley. All opinions are my own.
Profile Image for Rebekah.
153 reviews12 followers
July 24, 2018
I received an advanced copy from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Joy by Corrinne Averiss is a great children's book that will truly teach little ones the importance of bringing joy to the lives of others. I would definitely buy this for the kids in my life, as it is more than just a silly story. The bright colors and illustrations make it difficult to read this without bringing a smile to your own face.
Profile Image for Amy.
1,108 reviews60 followers
August 1, 2018
I absolutely loved this! Fern goes on a hunt for joy when she realizes her grandmother has been upset recently. She learns what it really means to have joy. This would be a great discussion starter, and there are lots of ways for students to make inferences and think deeper about the characters. I love the connections in this!

I received a copy of this ebook from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Profile Image for Jae.
435 reviews14 followers
November 30, 2018
I'm not crying, you're crying.
Profile Image for Amber Neal.
14 reviews
July 4, 2018
As Fern searches for Joy to bring to her Nanna, she goes brought a journey to find an abstract feeling. The author does a wonderful job in bringing an abstract idea to a concretr picture for children and adults alike. This book will make you smile as you flip though the colorful illustrations and travel with Fern to learn a wonderful life lesson.
Profile Image for Tim Roast.
787 reviews19 followers
July 16, 2018
Fern, the cover girl, is concerned about her Nanna. "It's like the joy has gone out of her life." Fern doesn't know what Joy is so asks her mum who tells her, "Joy is what makes your heart happy and your eyes twinkle."

So Fern sets off on a joy hunt as she tries to capture all the joy she encounters. Only problem is that joy can't be boxed, bagged, or put in a net. This makes Fern sad when she goes to visit Nanna. Nanna asks her what has upset her. When Fern tells Nanna of what she was trying to do, and all the joy she experienced in trying to do it Nanna smiles and is filled with joy again.

This is a nice, colourful book with good pictures. The little girl Fern looks like she is really full of joy and the things she does are the child-like, fun things that young kids will easily relate with. The way joy is portrayed in the picture, like the swirl of joy on the front cover, is clever. The story is also good because it is a story of family love, something again kids can relate to. Also young children will be familiar with going on a hunt thanks to the ever popular "We're going on a bear hunt" book.

All-in-all: Joyful.
Profile Image for Jo.
262 reviews21 followers
July 2, 2018
Downloaded through Netgalley thanks to the publisher free in exchange of an honest review!

Fern realizes that something is going on with her Nanna and plans on remedying it. Great book to help with emotions and noticing differences in others. The illustrations are engaging and interesting for me. I liked the use of the illustrations to convey the emotions going on with the little girl. This is a definite recommendation from me.
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