The Happy House

The Happy House is a humorous and realistic fiction story about Harriet’s street that did not smile. She decided to make a happy house and painted a yellow sun on her roof. She painted suns everyone and put tables and chairs on her lawn. Everyone who came to Harriet’s house was happy…even the dogs! The story is narrated with dialogue, signs, and illustrative text.

The Happy House is a simple narrative story. Critical thinking questions are provided to guide the reader. Illustrations match the text. A visual information guide is provided for teachers to draw students’ attention to the signs, layout, and design. There are exemplars of a thank-you notes at the end of the book. An activity on making a thank-you note is provided for teachers to extend students’ learning.

Readers develop vocabulary such as interest words (umbrella) and high-frequency words (did). Opportunities arise to discuss capital letters for the beginning of names (Harriet), full stops, commas, and ellipses. Focus on blend bl (blue) and word family un (sun).

This title is from the Sails Literacy series. Hook readers and ignite their curiosity - over 850 levelled texts with bright, colourful, sophisticated designs.