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Peanuts
Happiness is a Warm Puppy
First published in 1962, Happiness Is a Warm Puppy was Charles M. Schulzs first book. It landed on the New York Times bestseller list soon afterwards, sold millions of copies over the years, and launched Schulzs rise to stardom. This collectors edition re-creates the original look and feel of the title. On every spread, theres a tiny tidbit of wisdom from one of Charlie Browns gang that reminds us that we will find happiness in the simple things in life, along with one of Schulzs irresistible drawings. This special edition is a trip down memory lane that every Peanuts fan will cherish.
72 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 1962
About the author
Charles M. Schulz
3,210 books1,549 followersCharles Monroe Schulz was an American cartoonist, whose comic strip Peanuts proved one of the most popular and influential in the history of the medium, and is still widely reprinted on a daily basis.
Schulz's first regular cartoons, Li'l Folks, were published from 1947 to 1950 by the St. Paul Pioneer Press; he first used the name Charlie Brown for a character there, although he applied the name in four gags to three different boys and one buried in sand. The series also had a dog that looked much like Snoopy. In 1948, Schulz sold a cartoon to The Saturday Evening Post; the first of 17 single-panel cartoons by Schulz that would be published there. In 1948, Schulz tried to have Li'l Folks syndicated through the Newspaper Enterprise Association. Schulz would have been an independent contractor for the syndicate, unheard of in the 1940s, but the deal fell through. Li'l Folks was dropped from the Pioneer Press in January, 1950.
Later that year, Schulz approached the United Feature Syndicate with his best strips from Li'l Folks, and Peanuts made its first appearance on October 2, 1950. The strip became one of the most popular comic strips of all time. He also had a short-lived sports-oriented comic strip called It's Only a Game (1957–1959), but he abandoned it due to the demands of the successful Peanuts. From 1956 to 1965 he contributed a single-panel strip ("Young Pillars") featuring teenagers to Youth, a publication associated with the Church of God.
Peanuts ran for nearly 50 years, almost without interruption; during the life of the strip, Schulz took only one vacation, a five-week break in late 1997. At its peak, Peanuts appeared in more than 2,600 newspapers in 75 countries. Schulz stated that his routine every morning consisted of eating a jelly donut and sitting down to write the day's strip. After coming up with an idea (which he said could take anywhere from a few minutes to a few hours), he began drawing it, which took about an hour for dailies and three hours for Sunday strips. He stubbornly refused to hire an inker or letterer, saying that "it would be equivalent to a golfer hiring a man to make his putts for him." In November 1999 Schulz suffered a stroke, and later it was discovered that he had colon cancer that had metastasized. Because of the chemotherapy and the fact he could not read or see clearly, he announced his retirement on December 14, 1999.
Schulz often touched on religious themes in his work, including the classic television cartoon, A Charlie Brown Christmas (1965), which features the character Linus van Pelt quoting the King James Version of the Bible Luke 2:8-14 to explain "what Christmas is all about." In personal interviews Schulz mentioned that Linus represented his spiritual side. Schulz, reared in the Lutheran faith, had been active in the Church of God as a young adult and then later taught Sunday school at a United Methodist Church. In the 1960s, Robert L. Short interpreted certain themes and conversations in Peanuts as being consistent with parts of Christian theology, and used them as illustrations during his lectures about the gospel, as he explained in his bestselling paperback book, The Gospel According to Peanuts, the first of several books he wrote on religion and Peanuts, and other popular culture items. From the late 1980s, however, Schulz described himself in interviews as a "secular humanist": “I do not go to church anymore... I guess you might say I've come around to secular humanism, an obligation I believe all humans have to others and the world we live in.”
Schulz's first regular cartoons, Li'l Folks, were published from 1947 to 1950 by the St. Paul Pioneer Press; he first used the name Charlie Brown for a character there, although he applied the name in four gags to three different boys and one buried in sand. The series also had a dog that looked much like Snoopy. In 1948, Schulz sold a cartoon to The Saturday Evening Post; the first of 17 single-panel cartoons by Schulz that would be published there. In 1948, Schulz tried to have Li'l Folks syndicated through the Newspaper Enterprise Association. Schulz would have been an independent contractor for the syndicate, unheard of in the 1940s, but the deal fell through. Li'l Folks was dropped from the Pioneer Press in January, 1950.
Later that year, Schulz approached the United Feature Syndicate with his best strips from Li'l Folks, and Peanuts made its first appearance on October 2, 1950. The strip became one of the most popular comic strips of all time. He also had a short-lived sports-oriented comic strip called It's Only a Game (1957–1959), but he abandoned it due to the demands of the successful Peanuts. From 1956 to 1965 he contributed a single-panel strip ("Young Pillars") featuring teenagers to Youth, a publication associated with the Church of God.
Peanuts ran for nearly 50 years, almost without interruption; during the life of the strip, Schulz took only one vacation, a five-week break in late 1997. At its peak, Peanuts appeared in more than 2,600 newspapers in 75 countries. Schulz stated that his routine every morning consisted of eating a jelly donut and sitting down to write the day's strip. After coming up with an idea (which he said could take anywhere from a few minutes to a few hours), he began drawing it, which took about an hour for dailies and three hours for Sunday strips. He stubbornly refused to hire an inker or letterer, saying that "it would be equivalent to a golfer hiring a man to make his putts for him." In November 1999 Schulz suffered a stroke, and later it was discovered that he had colon cancer that had metastasized. Because of the chemotherapy and the fact he could not read or see clearly, he announced his retirement on December 14, 1999.
Schulz often touched on religious themes in his work, including the classic television cartoon, A Charlie Brown Christmas (1965), which features the character Linus van Pelt quoting the King James Version of the Bible Luke 2:8-14 to explain "what Christmas is all about." In personal interviews Schulz mentioned that Linus represented his spiritual side. Schulz, reared in the Lutheran faith, had been active in the Church of God as a young adult and then later taught Sunday school at a United Methodist Church. In the 1960s, Robert L. Short interpreted certain themes and conversations in Peanuts as being consistent with parts of Christian theology, and used them as illustrations during his lectures about the gospel, as he explained in his bestselling paperback book, The Gospel According to Peanuts, the first of several books he wrote on religion and Peanuts, and other popular culture items. From the late 1980s, however, Schulz described himself in interviews as a "secular humanist": “I do not go to church anymore... I guess you might say I've come around to secular humanism, an obligation I believe all humans have to others and the world we live in.”
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 103 reviews
May 23, 2018
This book is a childhood favorite. I still cherish and read it with my children today. What I love most about the book is that it teaches children that happiness means different things to different people. For some people, including myself, happiness really is a warm puppy! 5*****
March 6, 2021
A super quick read that encourages you to look at the everyday, simple moments.
Recollect the past, experience the present, and delight in the little things that bring you happiness in all your days to come.
Less than a five-minute read, but a super effective mood-booster. Happiness: It really is in the little things!
Recollect the past, experience the present, and delight in the little things that bring you happiness in all your days to come.
Less than a five-minute read, but a super effective mood-booster. Happiness: It really is in the little things!
June 12, 2018
Absolutely charming. I've been obsessed with Charles Schulz my whole life. I imagine sophisticated readers would sneer at the idea of reading these books as if they're actual books, but the Peanuts never fail to amuse and uplift. I love them so much.
Happiness is reading Peanuts.
Happiness is reading Peanuts.
February 29, 2024
Happiness is finishing a good book.
Read
August 16, 2023was not doing well and decided to read this snoopy children’s book and it definitely helped me more than a self help book could
September 17, 2023
Happiness is definitely enjoying one of Charles Schulz' Peanuts' books ... and this one has lots of words of wisdom from members of the gang as to what exactly happiness is.
Peanuts himself sees it as enjoying time with friends as he sits on the roof of his kennel with four birds or walking in the grass with bare feet or even picking up 'on the first bounce' a piece of fudge dropped by Lucy. But on the receiving end of happiness he does not look quite as happy when Lucy practises the title, 'Happiness is a warm puppy' as she gives Peanuts a cuddle.
Lucy herself is happy with an umbrella and a new raincoat as she walks in the rain or when she is playing with her friends Sally and Marcie in a sandpit... and not fighting while in it! She is also happy when she is sitting in front of a birthday cake with 'lots of candles' - six to be precise, which is okay but the more they get, perhaps the less happy she will be!
Linus is obviously studious for he is happy with 10 out of 10 for spelling (this reminds me of my first essay at senior school where I made a spelling mistake and had the red 'Sp' marked alongside - and the word I had misspelt, 'misitakes' - well it was appropriate anyway!) or when he is doing a jigsaw and he finds 'the little piece with the pink edge and part of the sky and the top of the boat'; jigsaws can at times be so frustrating! And another happiness for Linus is 'sleeping in your own bed' a sentiment with which I wholeheartedly concur.
Schroeder finds happiness when he is 'finding someone you like at the front door' and he is obviously smitten with Lucy for he looks decidedly chuffed with himself. As for Sally she likes the simple pleasures such as 'a chain of paper clips', which she wears, rather proudly, around her neck!
Charlie Brown meanwhile finds happiness in having 'some black, orange, yellow, white and pink jelly babies, but no green ones' - I don't think I would have excluded any colour, I just enjoy jelly babies (must get some now) - and going to the pictures with 'cowboys and Indians ... and no kissing'. Okay, everyone to their choice but I don't think I ever excluded the kissing bit, when I was old enough of course; I would willingly have missed part of a Hopalong Cassidy serial for a quick smooch!
It is a great little book, great illustrations, as always, and plenty to dwell on later.
September 2023
I spotted this on my shelves and decided to give it another peruse, just to remind myself what Charlie Brown regarded happiness as being and how it compared to my view!
I was perhaps a little harsh with four stars because it really is an enjoyable book that gives the reader a happy feeling, even if some of the things Charlie regards as making one happy are not particularly apposite to yourself. What I did like was the last page that gave the reader chance to make his or her own entry as it began 'My happiness is ...' and I notice I had completed it way back in March 2015 with an entry that read, 'being married to Linda for 36 years, sadly now gone'. Some things in life never change!
As a consequence of enjoying it more now, I have increased the rating to five stars!
Peanuts himself sees it as enjoying time with friends as he sits on the roof of his kennel with four birds or walking in the grass with bare feet or even picking up 'on the first bounce' a piece of fudge dropped by Lucy. But on the receiving end of happiness he does not look quite as happy when Lucy practises the title, 'Happiness is a warm puppy' as she gives Peanuts a cuddle.
Lucy herself is happy with an umbrella and a new raincoat as she walks in the rain or when she is playing with her friends Sally and Marcie in a sandpit... and not fighting while in it! She is also happy when she is sitting in front of a birthday cake with 'lots of candles' - six to be precise, which is okay but the more they get, perhaps the less happy she will be!
Linus is obviously studious for he is happy with 10 out of 10 for spelling (this reminds me of my first essay at senior school where I made a spelling mistake and had the red 'Sp' marked alongside - and the word I had misspelt, 'misitakes' - well it was appropriate anyway!) or when he is doing a jigsaw and he finds 'the little piece with the pink edge and part of the sky and the top of the boat'; jigsaws can at times be so frustrating! And another happiness for Linus is 'sleeping in your own bed' a sentiment with which I wholeheartedly concur.
Schroeder finds happiness when he is 'finding someone you like at the front door' and he is obviously smitten with Lucy for he looks decidedly chuffed with himself. As for Sally she likes the simple pleasures such as 'a chain of paper clips', which she wears, rather proudly, around her neck!
Charlie Brown meanwhile finds happiness in having 'some black, orange, yellow, white and pink jelly babies, but no green ones' - I don't think I would have excluded any colour, I just enjoy jelly babies (must get some now) - and going to the pictures with 'cowboys and Indians ... and no kissing'. Okay, everyone to their choice but I don't think I ever excluded the kissing bit, when I was old enough of course; I would willingly have missed part of a Hopalong Cassidy serial for a quick smooch!
It is a great little book, great illustrations, as always, and plenty to dwell on later.
September 2023
I spotted this on my shelves and decided to give it another peruse, just to remind myself what Charlie Brown regarded happiness as being and how it compared to my view!
I was perhaps a little harsh with four stars because it really is an enjoyable book that gives the reader a happy feeling, even if some of the things Charlie regards as making one happy are not particularly apposite to yourself. What I did like was the last page that gave the reader chance to make his or her own entry as it began 'My happiness is ...' and I notice I had completed it way back in March 2015 with an entry that read, 'being married to Linda for 36 years, sadly now gone'. Some things in life never change!
As a consequence of enjoying it more now, I have increased the rating to five stars!
July 11, 2024
True Snoopy!
September 20, 2007
Simple yet profound handful of cartoons.
Somewhere in my apartment, I have the original 1962 edition, signed by the author. I was 8 or 9 years old and a relative had recently been at a party given for Charles Schulz in honor of this book's publication, and all of the attendees received the book, and I was given it as a gift. I was already a huge fan of the Peanuts cartoon strip, but this was my first Peanuts book, and I’ve loved it ever since.
I was going a bit crazy because after a cursory search in the area where I thought it was, I couldn't find it, but now I've found it, and not only did Charles Schulz sign it but above his signature he drew a picture of Snoopy...I am in book heaven.
Somewhere in my apartment, I have the original 1962 edition, signed by the author. I was 8 or 9 years old and a relative had recently been at a party given for Charles Schulz in honor of this book's publication, and all of the attendees received the book, and I was given it as a gift. I was already a huge fan of the Peanuts cartoon strip, but this was my first Peanuts book, and I’ve loved it ever since.
I was going a bit crazy because after a cursory search in the area where I thought it was, I couldn't find it, but now I've found it, and not only did Charles Schulz sign it but above his signature he drew a picture of Snoopy...I am in book heaven.
June 27, 2017
Snoopy & Co. show, through lovely illustrations, that happiness can be found in the little things in life. :-)
February 14, 2019
I think Charles M. Schulz is a modern philosopher. In two thousand years, when our descendants (or the cockroach people) who are historians and archaeologists dig up the ruins of our mad, mad, mad, mad world, and find Happiness is A Warm Puppy, they will ponder our values and ideals, mores and morals. And, like our historians and archaeologists do now with the writings of Socrates and Sophocles and Seneca, Schulz will be a touchstone about life in the mid-to-late 20th century, and what we thought happiness was.
I treasure my Peanuts comic strips as building blocks for my character, my humor, what I think about life and love, friendship and family.
Are all the answers here, in this little book? Absolutely not. But for a moment, the reader is asked to think about what makes them happy, and that's a pretty cool thing.
I treasure my Peanuts comic strips as building blocks for my character, my humor, what I think about life and love, friendship and family.
Are all the answers here, in this little book? Absolutely not. But for a moment, the reader is asked to think about what makes them happy, and that's a pretty cool thing.
June 20, 2023
Read this cute book at the Charles M Schultz museum!
December 30, 2018
This book is a great addition to any Peanuts fan's collection. It's not so much a story as a collection of cute illustrations and fun little sayings, but I do like that it ends with the idea that happiness means different things to everyone. I will definitely always have a copy of this on my bookshelves.
May 27, 2018
Glorious! What else could it be but glorious? "Happiness is one thing to one person and another thing to another person." Charles Schulz and the Peanuts gang are a national treasure. Amazing, what a group of eight year old children could teach all of us.
August 21, 2012
I enjoyed checking this book out from the library when I was a kid. Every so often someone would take a pencil and write on the back blank pages their own version of "Happiness Is. . . ." They were all in small print and some were quite clever. I added one of my own. Okay, it wasn't right, but reading people's "Happiness Is" quotes was part of the fun of checking out this book periodically. (Remember, we didn't have the internet in those long ago days so that was our way of blogging.) One day, I checked it out and to my horror one of the librarians had caught on and erased all of them!! I was devastated. Sigh. Still - this is a nice, feel-good book.
January 25, 2009
Belonged to my mother, and was one of my first books. Can't replace the kind of memories associated with your early book experiences.
August 27, 2012
Cute collection of "Happiness is..." saying from Schulz featuring the Peanuts gang. I have the 1st paperback printing from Scholastic, from 1970. The cover is orange.
July 8, 2014
We had a lot of Peanuts books when I was a kid. I think my dad picked them up at the Cokesbury store, because sometimes Schultz quoted scripture.
September 29, 2014
Simple, yet effective. Schultz does a wonderful job illustrating how happiness differs from person to person, and how sometimes the smallest things in life can make someone's day.
February 20, 2017
Un hermoso librito con frases sobre la felicidad y aquellas cosas simples que la logran. Todo ilustrado con imagenes de Snoopy y el resto de la pandilla.
November 22, 2019
As good as any Peanuts book, I loved it.
Many thanks to the publisher and Edelweiss for this ARC, all opinions are mine.
Many thanks to the publisher and Edelweiss for this ARC, all opinions are mine.
December 10, 2019
Happiness is the gift of a book! I received this book as a Christmas gift when I was one year old. I still have it. :-)
December 29, 2019
There are so many good phrases to choose from .
“Happiness is be glad you’re you.”
“Happiness is one thing to one person. Another thing to another person.”
“Happiness is be glad you’re you.”
“Happiness is one thing to one person. Another thing to another person.”
December 3, 2020
Happiness is one thing to one person and another thing to another person. Thus saith Charles Schulz, The Master who drew by hand every panel of over at least 18000 strips featuring Good ol Round headed Blockhead Charlie Brown and his kid pals living in his community. Sadly, Mr Schulz felt little of that happiness he brought to others, and according to a Charles Schulz bio, died on one "dark and stormy night" with his last words as follows: "I should've let Charlie kick that football." That said, this should not stop anyone from accepting his words of wisdom in this book of little quotes of what happiness is, not just to Schulz but to Charlie Brown and gang, and what it can mean to all of us. If it were up to me, happiness is knowing, stubbornly, that we will overcome this damn virus and other political faux pas with our heart as our greatest weapon, with love as our only needed resource for courage. Happiness surely is knowing that happiness is where YOU find it, and that humorous stories about kids unsupervised and free to be their own family unit abound which are surely better alternates than South Park. Screw those guys, I'm going home...to the Peanuts Universe, where Happiness
...Just is!
Four stars
Clap along if you know what happiness means to YOU!
...Just is!
Four stars
Clap along if you know what happiness means to YOU!
July 22, 2017
What is happiness? Is it the mansion on the hill, the Cadillac in the driveway, the two car garage, the latest technological devices? Contrary to the status quo, Charlie Brown, Linus, Snoopy, and the rest of the Peanuts Gang tell us otherwise. After reading this beautifully illustrated book by Charles M. Schulz who definitely knew what were the real treasuries in life, I found myself assessing the simple things in my life for which I am grateful. I trust that you will too.
October 5, 2019
A sweet compilation of “Happiness”- themed quotes and snippets gathered from the Peanuts gang. Each set of pages has a beautiful illustration of one of our beloved Peanut characters by Charles M. Schulz and a sweet, warm, and fuzzy thought on the corresponding page.
A quick read, but touching and reminiscent of my childhood past.
Thank you for this ARC and in return I am submitting my unbiased and voluntary review and opinion.
A quick read, but touching and reminiscent of my childhood past.
Thank you for this ARC and in return I am submitting my unbiased and voluntary review and opinion.
December 21, 2018
Just found this again, packed away in a box full of memories. My parents gave me this copy, when I was a little kid. Peanuts ruled in my family, so much so that when my brother went away to boarding school, my mother would snip the daily comic from the paper and send it to him, because, you know, Boston (where he was) probably didn’t have Peanuts in their paper, but our town did.
December 26, 2019
I love anything that can help spread some happiness around.
Penuts/Snoppy has been around us since childhood and I have loved them since.
This one made me nostalgic a bit, and I loved it how it defines to find happiness in little moments and things.
Colorful and I wish I own a physical copy of this one one day <3
Penuts/Snoppy has been around us since childhood and I have loved them since.
This one made me nostalgic a bit, and I loved it how it defines to find happiness in little moments and things.
Colorful and I wish I own a physical copy of this one one day <3
October 25, 2020
Absolute classic! Much of the 1950s and 1960s sensibility of Schulz's daily comic strip is distilled down into single-panel homilies that capture the essence of the basic message he was trying to impart. This set of small hardback books, starting with "Happiness is a Warm Puppy" ended up on the bestseller lists for both adult and youth books.
November 9, 2022
As a lifelong Peanuts fan, it’s sad it took me this long to read this class Schulz book. These illustrations and litho prints capture the iconic spirit of the comics at their core.
I immediately gave my dog a hug after and the ending was perfect. Happiness is different for everyone and it can look like anything - love when they really drive the point home.
I immediately gave my dog a hug after and the ending was perfect. Happiness is different for everyone and it can look like anything - love when they really drive the point home.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 22, 2017
I did not know this was a kids book when I ordered it at the library. It's a good little book about taking joy in the little things. A good idea for adults too. I hope to read this to any kids I might have in the future.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 103 reviews