Lucky Go Happy: Make Happiness Happen!

This book is something I will suggest to friends to take an evening to read and then go back and read it again. There is so much to learn from this simple tale, and that is part of the beauty of the story. The idea is simple but I had no idea I would learn so much from a collection of human-like animals. The biggest lesson to take away from this is we waste way too much time trying to figure out how to be happy and wondering why everyone else around us is happy when we are not. Happiness requires thought, effort, and action.

:-) as a story, it's light hearted, doesn't take itself too seriously and leaves the reader with more than just a smile or two.As a message, it's poignant, meaningful and leaves the reader with pause for self reflection.Well done Paul! I really loved it and continue to find take-aways.

As someone who dislikes being told what I need to have or achieve in order to be happy, I found this to be a refreshing read. It's a collection of stories about how one takes control of his happiness. There are a variety of perspectives told on the matter. The story toward the end involving the ostrich brings a nice conclusion to it all.There are also some fun things about the mathematics behind happiness. But math haters will still like the book; the explanations are clear and it's not as though you're overwhelmed with numbers.

Clever way to present the itemized list the author had in mind with an understandable example to illustruate each point. A very quick read with not alot of content on the topic

Deep insight and wisdom displayed in witty, fun and amusing ways for kids of all ages!Every parent and grandparent will want to read and share this excellent book with family members and friends.Join these lighthearted adventures with wisdom about true happiness around every corner! Our grand kids love it and so will your inner child!Brilliantly written.

There were actually some good points in here but the premise was so stupid. Why talk down to the reader? Why pretend it’s some dumb fairy tale? You know what will make me happy? Never reading anything by this author again.

With chapters that separately cover their own pieces of the “complex puzzle” which is happiness, Paul Van Der Merwe offers a story-book on happiness that might equally be read by random dipping as by sequential reading—rather like happiness itself. Parable or fable, these tales read smoothly and “happily” while teaching wise lessons through humor and animal interest. I read them sequentially, laughed out loud on occasion, and thoroughly enjoyed those stings in rat-like tails—Lucky being a rat (and a math teacher, no less!) in a Bushveld world of lions, elephants and more.Based on a theory that all our actions are aimed at increasing happiness, Lucky is sent to investigate the stories of other animals. Pleasing humor invites the reader into each tale, and intriguing situations transport modern life into the world of animals, as creatures tell what they’ve learned of happiness. The stories are offered with an unforced sense of fable, making this a really enjoyable read.My favorite story just might be the marketing executive hyena, creating “unhappiness while also supplying the fix.” “Be happy with the fur you live in” might be the wisest advice to un-furred humans as well as to Lucky the rat. And my favorite lesson? Well, I’m just going to check this review off my to-do list, plan next year’s vacation, and take life a little slower. I’m not sure happiness really is the only destination, but I do know I enjoyed this book. It’s even got (simple) graphs to appeal to the mathematician in me—after all, Lucky is a math teacher!Disclosure: I was given a free ecopy and I offer my honest review.

A RAT MAKES HAPPINESS HAPPENThe author of this fascinating book suggests that it is written for adults and teenagers, but perhaps it will also find a very responsive audience among younger readers. The theme of the book embraces a quest of Lucky the Rat for nothing less than the secret of happiness. It wasn’t Lucky’s idea. The king of Bushveld, a Lion, chose Lucky for this assignment. Lucky, being an adept left-brained mathematician, was an unlikely choice to unlock a secret that has baffled philosophers for centuries. Moreover, he was instructed find this secret by interviewing ordinary animals of the kingdom, not philosophers. Lion wanted to learn what happiness means to them.“What a crisis!” thought Lucky as he contemplated his task. In Lucky’s first interview with an aging elephant Lucky was to learn that the two Chinese word symbols for “crisis” translated to a combination of “danger” and “opportunity.” This enlightened perspective sets the stage for Lucky’s quest, but also reveals the unexpected philosophical depth of Paul van der Merwe’s book. John Kennedy (among others) employed the concept in a speech: “The Chinese use two brush strokes to write the word ‘crisis.’ One brush stroke stands for danger; the other for opportunity. In a crisis, be aware of the danger–but recognize the opportunity.”So it is that Lucky leaves his “beautiful but boring life” and begins to canvas the animals of the kingdom of Bushveld. Other reviewers have covered the various characters Lucky encounters: the grievously bored Blue Wildebeest; the unscrupulous Hyena with his ruthless advertising tactics, and on and on. Nearly two dozen creatures offer their ways of coping with life and achieving a degree of happiness. But perhaps no story is more impressive or inspiring than the old elephant that was the first animal Lucky interviewed. Faced with a career-ending crisis (lost tusks) the old elephant tells how he had a life-changing encounter with a Panda bear from China. The Panda taught him the philosophical concept that the term “crisis” represented a combination of danger and opportunity. The Panda urged the old guy began to think about not just the danger of the crisis of his lost tusks, but also the new opportunity it now afforded him.The elephant did so. He learned new skills that were impossible before his loss. Without the weight and impediment of those heavy tusks, his chronic neck pain was mitigated. Now he could reach the succulent small leaves other elephants could not. He became a surgeon now that he could get close to patients. “I am a successful surgeon,” he told Happy go Lucky. “Not only that,” Happy responded, “You are a great motivational speaker.” So it is that Lucky goes forth and collects insightful, refreshing perspectives on happiness that will entertain and delight readers.The Lion studied the results of Lucky’s survey and applied the lessons. He was enabled to make happiness happen for himself and his subjects. Happily, he became affectionately known as the Contented King of Bushveld.