Outside in World | Browse Books
Use our Book Finder to search for books by Title (or part of the title), Author, ISBN, Age Range, Keyword, or Continent/Country. Then simply click the magnifying glass to start your search.
If a title starts with 'The', leave this out as this is added to the end of the title in brackets. funny pictures funny images funny photos really funny pictures
‘We need the literature of other countries to expand our
horizons and stimulate our ideas. Without it, we are not only
diminished, we are starved’
(The Times, Magnus Linklater 29/06/05)
Please email us to sign up to our Newsletter
My Heart is Laughing
by Rose Lagercrantz
Age Range: 6-8
Dani is always happy. Sometimes she is unhappy but she doesn’t count those times. She really misses her best friend Ella who has moved to another town and she won’t let anyone sit at Ella’s desk at school just in case she comes back.
Vicky and Micky, two of Dani’s classmates have a crush on a boy called Cushion, but when he decides to ignore both the girls and ask Dani out instead they cannot control their jealousy. They are mean to Dani, ignoring her when she tries to play or sit with them. Dani tries to pretend that nothing is wrong but when they pinch her hard on her arms while she is eating her lunch one day she finally reacts squirting sauce at both of them but unfortunately it goes over the teacher as well! Now Dani really is in trouble.
This is the second book by Swedish author Rose Lagercrantz and illustrator Eva Eriksson that features Dani who first appeared in My Happy Life. Lagercrantz deals sensitively with the element of bullying and Dani’s unhappiness in the text and the simple pen and ink illustrations by Eriksson bring a gentle humour: the upset hamsters or the exceedingly expressive facial expressions of many characters, especially Dani.
My Heart is Laughing explores how Dani navigates the challenges of school life while pining for the loss of her best friend. But ultimately it’s Dani’s wonderful optimism and how her resilience wins through the rough and unhappy times.