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The Little Book of Joy

Illustrated by Rafael López
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Nobel Peace Prize winners His Holiness the Dalai Lama and Archbishop Desmond Tutu share their own childhood struggles to show young readers how they can thrive and find joy even during the most challenging times in this picture book adaptation of the international bestseller The Book of Joy.

If you just focus on the thing that is making you sad, then the sadness is all you see. But if you look around, you will see that joy is everywhere.
 
In their only collaboration for children, His Holiness the Dalai Lama and Archbishop Desmond Tutu use their childhood stories to show young people how to find joy even in hard times and why sharing joy with others makes it grow. The two spiritual masters tell a simple story, vibrantly brought to life by bestselling illustrator Rafael López, of how every child has joy inside them, even when it sometimes hides, and how we can find it, keep it close, and grow it by sharing it with the world.
 
Sprung from the friendship, humor, and deep affection between these holy men, the book is a perfectly timed and important gift from two revered spiritual leaders to children. It is a reminder that joy is abundant—no matter what challenges we face—and has the power to transform the world around us even in the darkest of times.
"It’s hard to imagine anyone in the world more qualified to deliver such a message than these two...López expands the simply delivered proposal in fresh and lyrical ways." - Kirkus Reviews

"With unalloyed optimism, the pages earnestly lean into the creators’ comforting promise:'As it spreads from person to person, the world will fill with JOY.'" - Publishers Weekly  

"The pages glow...For children who find themselves in a puzzling and difficult world, this work can offer hope and guidance." - School Library Journal
© Brooks Kraft Corbis
Tenzin Gyatso, His Holiness the Fourteenth Dalai Lama, is the spiritual and temporal leader of the Tibetan people. His tireless efforts on behalf of human rights and world peace have brought him international recognition. He is a recipient of the Wallenberg Award (conferred by the U.S. Congressional Human Rights Foundation), the Albert Schweitzer Award, and the U.S. Congressional Gold Medal, and the Nobel Peace Prize. 

Howard C. Cutler, M.D., is a psychiatrist, best-selling author, and speaker. A leading expert on the science of human happiness, Dr. Cutler is coauthor, with His Holiness the Dalai Lama, of the acclaimed Art of Happiness series of books, international bestsellers that have been translated into fifty languages. The groundbreaking first volume, The Art of Happiness: A Handbook for Living, appeared on the New York Times bestseller list for ninety-seven weeks. Dr. Cutler lives in Phoenix. View titles by Dalai Lama
© Deborah Feingold
Desmond Mpilo Tutu, Archbishop Emeritus of Southern Africa, was a prominent leader in the crusade for justice and reconciliation in South Africa. He was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1984 and the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2009. Archbishop Tutu was regarded as a leading moral voice and an icon of hope. View titles by Desmond Tutu
Rafael López (rafaellopez.com) won Pura Belpré medals for Drum Dream Girl and Book Fiesta, and has also received three Pura Belpré honors, two Américas Book Awards, and the 2017 Tomás Rivera Children's Book Award and Society of Illustrators Original Art Silver Medal. His work has been featured in Communication ArtsAmerican Illustration AnnualGraphic Design USA and Huffington Post. He's a founder of San Diego's Urban Art Trail movement, created seven US Postal Stamps, and created official posters for the '08 and '12 Obama-Biden campaigns. He lives in San Diego, California, and San Miguel de Allende, Mexico. View titles by Rafael López

About

Nobel Peace Prize winners His Holiness the Dalai Lama and Archbishop Desmond Tutu share their own childhood struggles to show young readers how they can thrive and find joy even during the most challenging times in this picture book adaptation of the international bestseller The Book of Joy.

If you just focus on the thing that is making you sad, then the sadness is all you see. But if you look around, you will see that joy is everywhere.
 
In their only collaboration for children, His Holiness the Dalai Lama and Archbishop Desmond Tutu use their childhood stories to show young people how to find joy even in hard times and why sharing joy with others makes it grow. The two spiritual masters tell a simple story, vibrantly brought to life by bestselling illustrator Rafael López, of how every child has joy inside them, even when it sometimes hides, and how we can find it, keep it close, and grow it by sharing it with the world.
 
Sprung from the friendship, humor, and deep affection between these holy men, the book is a perfectly timed and important gift from two revered spiritual leaders to children. It is a reminder that joy is abundant—no matter what challenges we face—and has the power to transform the world around us even in the darkest of times.

Reviews

"It’s hard to imagine anyone in the world more qualified to deliver such a message than these two...López expands the simply delivered proposal in fresh and lyrical ways." - Kirkus Reviews

"With unalloyed optimism, the pages earnestly lean into the creators’ comforting promise:'As it spreads from person to person, the world will fill with JOY.'" - Publishers Weekly  

"The pages glow...For children who find themselves in a puzzling and difficult world, this work can offer hope and guidance." - School Library Journal

Author

© Brooks Kraft Corbis
Tenzin Gyatso, His Holiness the Fourteenth Dalai Lama, is the spiritual and temporal leader of the Tibetan people. His tireless efforts on behalf of human rights and world peace have brought him international recognition. He is a recipient of the Wallenberg Award (conferred by the U.S. Congressional Human Rights Foundation), the Albert Schweitzer Award, and the U.S. Congressional Gold Medal, and the Nobel Peace Prize. 

Howard C. Cutler, M.D., is a psychiatrist, best-selling author, and speaker. A leading expert on the science of human happiness, Dr. Cutler is coauthor, with His Holiness the Dalai Lama, of the acclaimed Art of Happiness series of books, international bestsellers that have been translated into fifty languages. The groundbreaking first volume, The Art of Happiness: A Handbook for Living, appeared on the New York Times bestseller list for ninety-seven weeks. Dr. Cutler lives in Phoenix. View titles by Dalai Lama
© Deborah Feingold
Desmond Mpilo Tutu, Archbishop Emeritus of Southern Africa, was a prominent leader in the crusade for justice and reconciliation in South Africa. He was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1984 and the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2009. Archbishop Tutu was regarded as a leading moral voice and an icon of hope. View titles by Desmond Tutu
Rafael López (rafaellopez.com) won Pura Belpré medals for Drum Dream Girl and Book Fiesta, and has also received three Pura Belpré honors, two Américas Book Awards, and the 2017 Tomás Rivera Children's Book Award and Society of Illustrators Original Art Silver Medal. His work has been featured in Communication ArtsAmerican Illustration AnnualGraphic Design USA and Huffington Post. He's a founder of San Diego's Urban Art Trail movement, created seven US Postal Stamps, and created official posters for the '08 and '12 Obama-Biden campaigns. He lives in San Diego, California, and San Miguel de Allende, Mexico. View titles by Rafael López