Everyone needs a copy of this book in his or her home.

I’m a fan of Eileen’s husband Jerry (Stargirl; Love, Stargirl; Maniac Magee, among many others). In a recent interview with Shelf Awareness, Jerry answered one question like this:

Book you are an evangelist for:

When You Are Happy by Eileen Spinelli. Yeah, I know, she’s my wife. But this 32-page picture book hits my trifecta: language, illustrations, message. Never before has so much humanity been packed into so few pages.

I thought, I need that.

I was right. This is what I posted on Instagram in the moments after finishing it.