High on the roof of an apartment building is a garden where neighbors come to laugh, to dance, and to share - stories of helping others, breakfasts of challah and herring, and, once a summer, a Roof Party! Surrounded by loving adults, a girl with cabbage curls feels she lives "on top of the world - in paradise." But something is about to change. Mama's belly is growing bigger - and bigger! Can the girl share her mama and papa, and her wonderful rooftop world, with a new baby? Based on the author's own New York City childhood, this warm and spirited story - with bold art in the style of public murals - is a joyous and heartfelt celebration of community. The House of Joyful Living is a 2009 Bank Street - Best Children's Book of the Year.