Welcome to FunFair Books and Designs!

Positivity-packed picture books and happy, hopeful ideas

** Picture book coming 2020 **

Our grumpy alien, Zob, is searching for happiness, he’d love your help to find it.

On a visit to Earth, two school children offer to show Zob what makes them feel happy. This colourful and fun rhyming activity book is ideal for introducing ideas and conversations about happiness and wellbeing and includes these happiness-inspired themes:

*Spending time in nature * Sharing time together * Enjoying fun hobbies * Acting with kindness * Helping others * Sport and exercise * Rest and sleep *

With opportunities to recall positive moments and make some new happy memories along the way, will we discover happiness is closer than we think?

Our children’s interactive and colourful picture story books are designed for sharing, to support parents in helping children develop a lifelong love of books, whilst learning life skills and having fun reading.

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Children Learn as they Play

Children learn as they play, so inside you’ll find lots to do: there are questions, happiness clues to spot and lots of reminders about every day small things that make a difference to life. The book is designed for sharing with children of approximately 4 – 8 years old. Younger children will love the rhyme (which also supports language and learning skills) whilst older ones will enjoy the hide-and-seek format.

Moments of Positivity

There are lots of opportunities for grown-ups to help children notice positive moments from the day, including a brief introduction to gratitude practice and a reference to growth mind set, i.e. improvement of skills through practice. And plenty of chances to incorporate your own families’ ideas into the story too.

Meet the Illustrator

The artwork is by brilliant illustrator Rosie Johnson (@rosiejohnsonillustrates) who has turned hundreds of happiness ideas into beautiful, engaging and visually appealing drawings of positivity in the classroom, kindness in the playground and creative activities in the home. Rosie’s knowledge and skills from early years’ teaching experience helps her create images that both appeal to and engage with younger children.

Reviews:

“It is lovely to read a book which helps us to focus on and remember the important contributors to happiness that we sometimes forget in our busy lives.” Sally, mum to Jacob (8) and James (6)

“I love the idea of taking photos of having fun with friends so you can look at them and feel happy again. I also like the Zob sits quietly at the end of the day and considers what he is grateful for.” Anna, mum to Indigo

“Nothing to improve, we really enjoyed sitting down for a cuddle and reading the book. Jessica enjoyed the ryhming and the finding. She liked that you had to find James, Jen and Zob on each page and could anticipate it.” Paula, mum to Jessica (6)

Dr Daisy Robinson is a GP at College Surgery Partnership, Devon and her interests include clinical education and young people’s health and wellbeing.

Daisy says, ” ‘The most powerful change lies in the art of the conversation’. This clever new illustrated story and activity book has the power to bring parents, carers and children together through inspiring conversations that matter – Where does happiness come from? What’s important for a happy & healthy life? Research into these questions and the field of Positive Psychology is now embedded in many of the public health and workplace initiatives to support our wellbeing but it is rare to find it told from the perspective of our youngest children. In a world of digital, competitive busyness, we often lament that there is no longer time to play and little incentive to read when we know these are crucial to healthy development and emotional wellbeing. Through simple stories and practices that can easily be made part of family life, children and adults alike can learn together how everyone can build lifelong wellbeing, happiness and positivity.”