Are You Happy? Author: Rajalakshmi Paramasivam Illustrators: Sonal Goyal, Sumit Sakhuja
A small black puppy lived with his mother. A parrot from a nearby tree used to make fun of his black colour. He used to say," Look at me Puppy dog. How beautiful Iam with green wings and pretty red lips ! Look at yourself . You are dark as night." Puppy looked around. He saw the beautiful and colourful rooster , little brown rats and white pigs..... Puppy thought that everyone around him were beautiful and colourful and so they were happy. 2/8
Puppy asked his mom," Mom, why am I black? That makes me sad." His mom replied," Yes. You are black. So what ? There is nothing wrong in being black. We dogs are known for faithfulness. You should be proud of that." But the puppy was not satisfied at that. That night he did not get sleep. He came out of the kennel and was running here and there.. Suddenly, he saw himself in a forest 3/8
There he saw a big owl sitting on a tree and h...o...o...t...ing. The noise frightened the puppy. But he gathered all the courage and asked the owl,"Owl! Are you happy?" The owl said,"Yes Iam happy. What is your problem?" "But you have two big round eyes which are very scary. Also a horrible voice which shakes the forest.. Is it ok for you?" asked the puppy. The owl said," So what? Iam the nightwatchman of the forest. All animals sleep in peace, because I take care. Also we owls are wise . Iam proud of all that. " 4/8
The puppy ran further. He came across a fox. He stopped the fox and asked ," Oh Fox! Are you happy? " The fox said, " Yes Iam. But what is your problem?" " No. They say that you are short and very cunning." said the puppy. The fox replied," I am not worried about my height. I am shrewd and if others say it is cunningness, I don't care. I can help my friends with my tricks. I am proud of that and so I am happy." Saying this the fox with its bushy tail ran away. 5/8
As the puppy was about to turn, something glittered in the dark. It was a firefly. Now the puppy asked," Firefly Are you happy? " Fire fly answered," Yes. Iam. What is your problem? " "You glitter like a star in the night. But in the morning you don't. Are you not worried about that.?" asked the puppy. The firefly replied," Why should I? When it is dark, I spread light around me. I am proud of that. And so Iam happy." Saying this, the firefly made a buzz sound and flew away flattering its wings. 6/8
When he was about to return something caught his attention. That was a bat hanging upside down in a tree. The puppy asked the bat ," You ugly bat !When everyone walk and fly straight , you hang upside down.Are you happy over that? " Immediately the bat gave a hearty laugh and said," Iam not worried about my looks. .Do you know that I am the friend of the farmer? I am proud of that and so Iam happy.... 7/8
The puppy ran home. His mother was waiting for him. She asked ," Pup. Where did you go? Puppy said what other animals told him and added," Mom , now even I am not worried about my colour or looks. I shall do what I am good at and be proud of that.. "On hearing this, his mom felt very happy. His mom hugged him and both of them went to sleep. Dear friends,"The puppy is right . Isn't he?"Our behaviour and attitude are more important than our looks. 8/8
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This is a Level 2 book for children who recognize familiar words and can read new words with help. (English) Are You Happy? The black puppy was not happy . He is on a journey to see if others are happy. Read the story to see if the puppy got an answer to his nagging question. Pratham Books goes digital to weave a whole new chapter in the realm of multilingual children's stories. Knitting together children, authors, illustrators and publishers. Folding in teachers, and translators. To create a rich fabric of openly licensed multilingual stories for the children of India and the world. Our unique online platform, StoryWeaver, is a playground where children, parents, teachers and librarians can get creative. Come, start weaving today, and help us get a book in every child's hand!