About the Holiday

Happiness Happens Month reminds us that happiness doesn’t have to be something we plan for or spend money on. In fact paying attention to those little moments during each day, going on spontaneous outings with friends or family, or taking time to do a favorite activity may be all you need to feel happier every day! With summer coming to a close and school starting again, it’s a great time to reflect on the fun you’ve had over the past months and all the memories that are about to be made as another year of activities, education, new friendships, and excitement unfolds. Happiness really does come to you if you look for it and let it happen!

An Abundance of Light: a Story of Matisse in Morocco

By Lauren Stringer

As Paris endured a cold and rainy season, Henri Matisse suffered. How could he paint light and colors when he was surrounded by gray? His friend Albert Marquet suggested he visit Tangier, Morocco, “where the Atlantic Ocean meets the Mediterranean Sea.” There, he said, “the sunlight was abundant!” Henri packed up all of his supplies and made the trip. But it seemed Henri had brought the rainy weather with him. He tried to paint colorful irises and a basket of oranges and lemons, but he still felt gloomy and trapped.

Text and illustration © 2025 by Lauren Stringer. Courtesy of Beach Lane Books.

Then one night while Henri slept, the rain stopped. In the morning he woke to ” . . . an abundance of light. A luminous light. A dazzling light.” Henri took his sketchbook and hurried into town, where color shimmered from the pink mosque to the vibrant Grand Socco market to the Casbah gateway to old Medina. Everywhere he looked he saw the vividness of life. Brightly patterned rugs and painted pottery reminded him of the art his grandparents and mother created in their drab town. “Henri felt a glimmer in the cloudy and dark.”

Text and illustration © 2025 by Lauren Stringer. Courtesy of Beach Lane Books.

Henri found a large garden to paint in and began painting the lavender branches, green acanthus, blue periwinkles and “pink-tomato sky” he saw. Despite his “bright and bold” colors, he still felt something cloudy and dark. Then one day, following the music of fiddles, flutes, and drums that filled the air. Henri found a cafe, “where men in long robes gazed at goldfish in round bowls.” Henri was mesmerized by the reds and golds of the fish as well.

Text and illustration © 2025 by Lauren Stringer. Courtesy of Beach Lane Books.

When Henri left the cafe, “he saw an abundance of shadows.” In fact, the dark shadows accentuated the light. Finally, he understood that light and color and dark could work together. In his new paintings he surrounded his colorful subjects with colorful shadows. He interpreted light itself into brilliant color. And in a painting completed from his hotel window, Henri painted shadows of such a dark blue that he realized “he could paint light and color, even in the dark.” At home when Henri displayed his paintings in a gallery in Paris, they were a sensation. Now, whenever the skies turned gloomy and rainy, Henri remembered the abundance of light in Morocco and painted.

Back matter includes a short biography about Henri Matisse’s childhood, a discussion of Matisse and his time in Tangier, and a note from the Lauren Stringer about her trip to Tangier that inspired her story. She also includes an illustrated glossary of terms found in the book.

Text and illustration © 2025 by Lauren Stringer. Courtesy of Beach Lane Books.

Celebrated author, picture book illustrator, and painter Lauren Stringer immerses young children in a particular time in Henri Matisse’s life and reveals how he overcame obstacles to create some of this best-known paintings. His struggles and search for enlightenment are simply and honestly portrayed, lending to his eureka moment deep joy and surprise. The enthusiastic reception for these paintings, Matisse’s newly discovered ability to find light and color even during dark days, and the lessons his artistic parents demonstrated are all reminders that light shines from within.

Stringer’s striking pastel, charcoal, gouache, and digital media illustrations entice readers to join Henri Matisse on his journeys both internal and artistic. Her realistic depictions of Matisse’s circle of famous friends, and the sights of Tangier will entice readers to learn more. As Henri breaks out of his artist’s block, Stringer portrays him with a sprightliness of step, a perceptive eye, and a deft touch with the brush. Readers will be especially fascinated by the side-by-side models and paintings that reveal how Matisse transposed reality to canvas.

An Abundance of Light is a must addition to school and public libraries collections and is highly recommended for art-loving and artistic children. The book would also make an impactful resource for art classrooms and creative projects.

Ages 4 – 8 

Beach Lane Books, 2025 | ISBN 978-1534493629 

About the Author/Illustrator

Lauren Stringer has illustrated many celebrated picture books, including Deer Dancer by Mary Lyn Ray; The Princess and Her Panther by Wendy Orr; Scarecrow and Snow, both written by Cynthia Rylant; as well as her own Winter Is the Warmest Season, When Stravinsky Met Nijinsky, The Dark Was Done, and An Abundance of Light. She lives with her family in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Visit her at LaurenStringer.com.

Happiness Happens Month Activity

Happiness Is… Game

Happiness is all around you! Grab one or more friends to play a game that reveals what things make you happy. 

1. Like the “Geography” game: the first player names something that makes them happy, the next player must think of something that starts with the last letter of the word the previous player said. The game continues with each player continuing the pattern. Players drop out as they cannot think of a word. The last player left is the winner.

You can purchase An Abundance of Light from these booksellers

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Bookshop (discounted books and support for your local independent bookstore)

Picture Book Review