Feeling Growly? Go for Gleeful instead of Grouchy (FAMILY magazine reviews)

Although it’s summertime, 

the grumps sometimes show up. 

But, never fear, 

there are a few possibilities 

for changing crabby to cheerful 

in these lively picture books. 

If one of those you love is grumbly, irritable 

and out of sorts, 

this may not change it up, 

but at the very least 

reading these stories reminds us that 

we all have a bad day occasionally, 

and gives an opportunity to laugh at ourselves 

by laughing at the characters 

whose lives aren’t so different from our own.  

Grumpy Pants 

by Claire Messer

            Penguin is peeved. “He didn’t know why and he didn’t care.” He tries to shake it off by pulling off his grumpy coat, boots, socks, overalls – even his grumpy underpants! But he’s still grumpy!  So -- he counts to three and splashes into the bathtub. The nice cold water, time to play with his duck, make a bubble beard, and then put on his favorite pajamas, drink a cup of hot chocolate, and read his favorite book, “little by little,” help him to feel much better.

            Linoleum prints use bright colors to show Penguin’s grouchy to glad change. His fretful face wearing a sunshiny yellow raincoat and hat, under a cloudy, rainy sky is a sensitive show of contrasts. Lots of white space allows readers to watch his cranky face and gestures. Accented by the large font and lean language, this artful blend of narrative and image creates a reassuring framework for managing strong emotions.

            Finding his favorite teddy, climbing into bed, and falling asleep, Penguin knows that tomorrow will “be a good day because all the grumpiness has been washed away,” – a totally satisfying ending to a day, and for a story!

Albert Whitman, $16.99

Interest Level: Pre-Kindergarten – Grade 1

Grumpy Bird  

by Jeremy Tankard

            Bird wakes up grumpy, too grumpy to eat, too grumpy to play, too grumpy to fly! Deciding to walk, grumbling bird meets a series of cheerful animals (sheep, rabbit, raccoon, beaver, fox) all of whom greet him, ask what he’s doing and decide to walk, following bird. As time passes the walk evolves into an unexpected game of follow-the-leader. Bird becomes so tickled he forgets he’s grumpy and invites everyone to fly back to his nest for a snack. And surprisingly, everyone does!

            The ink and digital illustrations are a mixed media treat with cartoon-like animals outlined boldly in black, and layered over photos of farm, meadow, trees, and ocean with fanciful stars, flowers, grass and bubble shapes doodled in various colors on each double page spread. Expressive faces and bodies show the animal characters dancing across the pages as their joyful energy helps to transform Bird’s grumbling grouchiness. Enchantment makes for a winsome ending.

Scholastic, $6.99 (board book) $15.99 (hardcover)

Interest Level: Pre-Kindergarten – Kindergarten

Grumpy Monkey  

by Suzanne Lang

illustrated by Max Lang

            With a wonderful red cover to accent the huffiness of the title character, this mesmerizing picture book deftly captures the importance of valuing emotions and encourages readers to simply recognize our feelings. Jim Panzee wakes up to discover that nothing is right with the day – “the sun was too bright, the sky was too blue, the bananas were too sweet.” The animals Jim meets describe him as grumpy, but Jim insists that he is not!

            “You’re all hunched,” says Norman the gorilla. Jim loosens up. Lemur mentions his bunched-up eyebrows. Jim unbunches. Jim trips over Snake, who notices his frown. Jim makes a smile that looks happy. But Jim still doesn’t feel happy inside. Many other animals suggest singing, swinging, rolling, strolling, splashing, hugging, napping, jumping, even dancing. But Jim doesn’t “feel like doing any of that.” He yells at his animal friends, storms off -- and then feels sorry.

            The watercolor illustrations change colors from page to page, allowing the varied feelings to emerge through both the cartoonish characters and their expressions, as well as the jungle-like backgrounds, and even the careful use of white space to feature the animals engaging in their own choices of ways to enjoy the wonderful day.

            Jim and Norman compare grumpiness when Norman acknowledges that perhaps it was a mistake to dance with a porcupine. Both agree, “I’ll probably feel better soon enough.”        

Although a chimpanzee is an ape, not a monkey, this doesn’t need to distract from this tantalizing tale. Sometimes we all just need time and space to be grumpy.

Random House, $8.99 (board book) $17.99 (hardcover)

Interest Level: Pre-Kindergarten – Grade 1