Grumpy Pants by Claire Messer
It's official.
This is my current picture book favorite.
I am enamored with Penguin. Note the pose. Note the way he rocks red boxers with tiny hearts, even with flippers and a wisp of a protruding tail. He is sporting a bright yellow slicker with matching rain hat and boots, which is interesting attire for a bird with waterproof feathers. Not everybody can pull off this look. But Penguin manages to achieve definite panache.
This is my current picture book favorite.
I am enamored with Penguin. Note the pose. Note the way he rocks red boxers with tiny hearts, even with flippers and a wisp of a protruding tail. He is sporting a bright yellow slicker with matching rain hat and boots, which is interesting attire for a bird with waterproof feathers. Not everybody can pull off this look. But Penguin manages to achieve definite panache.
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When it's not going well outdoors, Penguin determines that he has had enough. He moves his bad mood indoors.
Maybe shedding all that wet clothing will help improve his attitude.
Maybe shedding all that wet clothing will help improve his attitude.
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| After a relaxing bath, he dons comfy pajamas, sips hot chocolate, reads his favorite stories, and slips blissfully into slumber land. It would seem that all is well with his world. Maybe. A surprise greets the careful reader who continues reading, and then finally closes the book. Wait for it... |  |
| Behold the back cover. It brilliantly illustrates the difficulty of turning around a bad day. For it is indeed a truth universally acknowledged that sometimes a difficult day is not so easily discarded. (Apology to Jane Austen) |  |
I shared Claire Messer's Grumpy Pants with several young and not-so-young readers who were experiencing a "grumpy pants" moment. They appreciated how the book acknowledges the bad moods which occur in all of our lives. Grumpiness notwithstanding, these test readers were captivated by the Penguin with an attitude.
Ultimately it's easy to get lost in the charm of Penguin's plight. Both illustrations and text work together to provide delightful reading.
Thanks Claire Messer for this little gem.
I hope that we will see more of Penguin in future books.
Ultimately it's easy to get lost in the charm of Penguin's plight. Both illustrations and text work together to provide delightful reading.
Thanks Claire Messer for this little gem.
I hope that we will see more of Penguin in future books.
 | * * * * * * * * * * * * * Bonus: I am in love with these end papers. I want to paper my mud room with this charmingness. |
Companion book
 | Judith Viorst's classic Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day makes an excellent companion read. Pair both books for any good or not-so-good day. |
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