If You're Happy and You Know It Book and CD

by Jan Ormerod

If you're happy and you know it, you clap your hands . . . right? Not if you're an animal! Join in with them by wagging your tail like a dog, flapping your elephant ears, snapping your teeth like a crocodile, beating your chest the way gorillas do, jumping for joy with the kangaroos, and much
more.

Based on the popular children's rhyme, this energetic picture book is available for the first time with a feel-good audio CD that cannot fail to encourage reader participation.

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens, Animals, Music, Retellings

32 pages, Paperback

First published February 20, 2003

About the author

Jan Ormerod grew up in the small towns of Western Australia, with three older sisters, and as a child she drew constantly and compulsively. She went to art school and studied drawing, painting and sculpture. After completing her degree, Jan become an Associate of the Western Australian Institute of Technology and Design in Education, taught in secondary schools on enrichment programmes, and lectured in teacher’s college and art schools. Jan's first picture book, "Sunshine", won the Mother Goose Award in 1982 and was highly commended for the Kate Greenaway Medal. Her recent titles include "Ben Goes Swimming", "Emily Dances", "Who’s Who on Our Street?", " A Twist in the Tail" and "Ponko and the South Pole".
http://www.walkerbooks.com.au/authors...

Reviews

[Kenson and kirra · Rating 5 out of 5]

I dare you to read this without singing. my sister and i danced all the way through it. it was fun. my mom likes to read it to us too, and yes she sings.

[Maria Gomez · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed reading this book because it is creative in explaining it is okay to be happy and express it in different ways. Not everyone has the same actions to correspond to a feeling such as felling "happy". This book will allow me to teach the children it okay to express happiness in different ways as long as it is respectful and accepted.

[Perfumegirl · Rating 4 out of 5]

used to read this to my granddaughter, read to 3 yr old grandson today...he really liked it.

[Brenica Miles · Rating 4 out of 5]

1. If You're Happy and You Know It by Jan Ormerod and Lindsey Gardner. 2003
2. Social and Emotion setting. An inspirational book that teaches individuality.
3. This book is colorful and a fun twist on the original song. I would use this book in my classroom by having the children say what about them makes them different from everyone else and I would add those things to the original song.

[Michelle Farella · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute take on the classic song with different animals and their abilities.

[Zoe Mills · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good PSED book

[Cheryl · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun to read aloud, with exuberant pictures. Bonus points for some unique friendly animals, like gorilla, hyena, and crocodile!

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

A new take on an old classic - with the animals helping a young girl show all the ways to show that you're happy (e.g. beat your chest, flap your ears, wag your tail, etc.) A fun group read aloud!

[Freddie D · Rating 4 out of 5]

A super fun and original twist on this classic sing-a-long. The illustrations are very sweet and the message is lovely: everyone shows their happiness in their own way.

[Little Seesaw · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is so fun to read. It is the cutest little spin on all the animals being happy and doing their own thing. It really makes you HAPPY! So shout Hooray!

[Nathan · Rating 2 out of 5]

Started with a familiar song, then branches off with no rhyme or rhythm.

[Teresa Biggie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute illustrations on the familiar song and how various animals also show their happiness. The animals are cute.. flapping ears, swishing tails, clacking teeth.

[Megan · Rating 2 out of 5]

I don't like how insulting some of the animals are. That teaches kids bad behavior. That's not how to react when you disagree with someone.

[Hannah · Rating 4 out of 5]

If You're Happy and You Know It by Jan Ormerod is a fun and engaging book. It begins with a young girl who is singing because she feels happy. The story follows different animals and the things that they do when they are happy.

I read this to the children in EYFS and got them to stand up and join in with the actions and songs in the story. The children really enjoyed the way that they could not only read the story, but also use their bodies to move in different ways.

This is a great book for younger children and has many uses for the home and classroom. This story would also be good for circle/carpet time as a way for children to discuss emotions, some of the things that make them happy/unhappy and ways in which they can express their mood to let others know how they are feeling.

Overall, I thought this was a really enjoyable book for EYFS and would definitely use it again with another class.

[Breanna Lechase · Rating 3 out of 5]

1. Awards the book has received (if any): No awards
2. Appropriate grade level(s): Pre-K - K
3. Original 3-line summary
This musical book explores a variety of ways to show that you are happy. A little girl starts the song by clapping her hands, but soon many other animals chime in to show how they express happiness. By the end of the song the little girl realizes that to express happiness all she has to do is be herself and “do her own thing”.
4. Original 3-line review
The message of this book is great for encouraging children to be themselves. The lively, nature of the text also makes this a great interactive song that children can be goofy with. Lindsey Gardiner’s illustrations are also very colorful and bright.
5. 2-3 possible in-class uses
This book would be a great part of a lesson that discusses self-expression. It could also be incorporated into lessons regarding acceptance, such as how it is okay if we express similar emotions in different ways because we are all unique.

[Heidi · Rating 3 out of 5]

Instead of the well-known lyrics to the popular titled song, this is a story of a girl who feels happy and sings a song. However, various animals tell her other ways to express happiness (dog-wave your tail; elephant-flap your ears; crocodile-snap your teeth; and so on). In the end, the little girl realizes that she can show her happiness in her own unique way which includes all of the ways mentioned throughout the story by the animals and the girl.

This didn't flow as well as it could have and it's hard not to sing the song while reading the story. However, I would add the extra lines necessary to create the flow of the song for each animal. I would highly recommend David A. Carter's pop-up book version of this title or Jane Cabrera's version.

[Vivian · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love this version of the song in book form. It is full of energy and adds an element of fun by adding animals who cannot clap their hands. The dog says "wave your tail" (have children "wag" an arm), the elephant says "flap your ears" (put hands by ears and "flap"), the crocodile says "snap your teeth" (extend arms and "snap" as jaws), the gorilla says "thump your chest", the kangaroo says "jump and bump" and so forth.

Tip: you don't have to do the entire book!
Tip: you can use this with story times featuring any of the animals mentioned.
Tip: now that you've got the idea, you can do this version without the book (which, sadly, is out of print).
Tip: there are still copies available through Amazon.

[Amanda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Song
1. No award.
2. 4yrs old+
3. A little girl shows off how she expresses happiness. Afterwards several animals mimic her but show how they express their happiness differently.. This book goes along to the tune of "If you're happy and you know it"!
4. I enjoyed reading this version of the nursery rhyme where a bunch of animals expresses their happiness realistically. The pictures throughout the book are very simple, vibrant and engaging for readers to read. I like how there are different text fonts, sizes and placements on the pages to make it fun and goofy.
5. This book could be used in the classroom to learn about rhyming and verb words. Students can also think about how they individually express happiness and can show it to the class.

[Vivian · Rating 4 out of 5]

Here's another action-packed picture book. We "warmed up" by singing the song without the book, doing three actions and then all three actions together. The children are very familiar with this and enjoy it.

I said, "suppose you were a puppy and couldn't do those actions?" I turned to the first double-page spread featuring an animal's take on the song. We sang through the next six critters, finishing with the kangaroo, of course. We could have skipped two of them and done only three if time were short.

[Duane · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great book to use as a storyhour presentation to preschoolers! Following the usual song, a young girl meets various animals that show her how they sing the song using their animal characteristics. With wonderful illustrations, it's easy for kids to follow along with the song, plus they get to mimick the movements and words. A great energetic book for any preschool teacher!

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

When I read this book with my son I sing most of it and my son definitely loves that. The pictures are great too and everytime I pull it off the shelf to read with him he gets a huge smile on his face (he's currently about 9 months).

[Kandise · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this book aloud to a group of daycare children and they loved it. I pretty much sang the song to them and muddled the words of the book a bit along the way, but they acted out the book's words without my having suggested it. They particularly enjoyed screeching.

[Raven Grider · Rating 4 out of 5]

The way the text is written in this book is absolutely fantastic! Most of the text is supposed to read as a song, so this would be great for pre-schoolers or kindergartners. The illustrations are engaging and wonderful, as well.

[Velita · Rating 4 out of 5]

Everyone knows the song 'If you're happy and you know it' but this book is a cute twist on it where animals put their own spin on the words. In the end, the girl learns you can be happy and express that in her own way.

This book would be a great example of rhyming and repetition.

[Alexis Fiore · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book starts off with a little girl singing because she was happy. She clapped her hands and then it goes on to tell what different animals do when they are happy. I think it a great book for younger children and it would be fun for them to follow along and sing.

[Dholsten · Rating 2 out of 5]

Liked the use of a familiar song and the variations of how "happy" is expressed. The hyena giggled--a nice surprise; and of course the toucan HAS to make some gesture utilizing its beak...lol. Cute book.

[Tricia · Rating 3 out of 5]

different animals do different things when they are happy. can be sung/read. good for storytime to get the kids involved.

[Kathy Morrison · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book goes very well when teaching about feelings or using the song "if you're happy and you know it..."

[Heather · Rating 2 out of 5]

We didn't like this book. The text doesn't rhyme and there's NO rhythm. It was just plain awkward to read. My husband also commented on how he didn't like to read it out loud.

[Jayanne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Easy to add lots of action when telling.