This Makes Me Happy

This early reader follows a young girl through a school field trip that brings genuine highs and one real disappointment — her nut allergy means she cannot share a treat with classmates — and shows her naming and sitting with all of it at day's end. Courtney Carbone keeps the emotional vocabulary age-appropriate and the scenario relatable without being heavy-handed. Hilli Kushnir's cheerful illustrations and the included sticker sheet make it the kind of book kids actually want to pick up. For a Level 2 Step into Reading book, that is exactly right. The trade-off is depth: this is an early reader by design, so literary complexity is not the goal. The allergy subplot is handled sensitively, and the core lesson — happy days hold unhappy moments too — is one worth learning young.