The Grouchies - Hardcover

Wagenbach, Debbie

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 143380543X ISBN 13: 9781433805431

Publisher: Magination Press, 2009

Synopsis

iParenting Media Award

Mom's Choice Award for Children's Picture Books (Gold)

What can you do when the grouchies take hold? How can you keep a bad mood at bay?

With funny rhymes and a silly chant, The Grouchies shows kids simple and fun ways to turn around grouchy moods. But most of all, kids will understand how their mood and negativity can affect their family and friends, and really get in the way of having a good day.

An extensive Note to Parents further explains the child's experience and provides parents with easy-to-apply tips and tools for helping their kids when a grumpy day comes along.

From the Note to Parents:

Everyone feels grouchy sometimes. Young children, as well as adults, are capable of an array of moods that can influence the ways in which situations are interpreted and the actions of other people are perceived. So a grouchy mood can negatively affect how you think or feel about anyone or anything.

Grouchiness can be contagious, since people tend to mirror or “catch” the moods of those around them. Thus, a child’s mood can be influenced by the negative disposition of a caregiver. Similarly, a negative mood in a young child can be so powerful that everyone in the house may feel it.

About this title

About the Author:

Debbie Wagenbach grew up on a farm in southeast Iowa, the oldest of nine siblings. She has been reading and telling stories to children for as long as she can remember. As a retired children's librarian, she now writes books for children herself, mostly during the daylight hours. Debbie still lives on the same farm, where she enjoys quiet strolls on dusty roads, cloud watching, savoring a daily smidge of dark chocolate, and introducing her great nieces and nephews to the loveliest of books. She is the author of The Grouchiesi and Big, Bad, Brave Sergio. Visit her at www.grouchies.com and follow her on Facebook: @DebbieWagenbachChildrensAuthor and Twitter: @Deb_Wagenbach.

Steve Mack is a freelance illustrator and has been illustrating professionally for the last decade. Steve has recently returned to Canada and his freelancing roots and now works for many clients. He has a small studio on a farm in the valley and lives with his wife and two small children. His children's books include Stickley Makes a Mistake, Peanut Butter & Jellyous...sometimes friendships get sticky, and The Grouchies. Visit him at www.stevemack.com or follow him on Facebook: @SteveMackIllustrator, Twitter: @steve_mack or Instagram @SteveMackIllustrator.

Review:

A five-year-old wakes up in a foul mood and is followed throughout his day by grumpy-faced gray clouds that want him to join up with them. His funk begins with oatmeal at breakfast, then an encounter with his sister in which he yells and grabs back his bear, followed by a refusal to wave to friends at the playground and a little kick of sand in their direction. More and more grouchies accumulate overhead. Inevitably, the day ends with an emotional meltdown: his puzzle pieces won't fit, and he yells at his father. At the end of this frustrating day, his caring Dad says, "the grouchies could be strong and make their way sound good. But rude and grumpy actions are never understood." Fortunately, the child wakes the next morning followed by yellow, smiling faces after having support, love, and understanding from his parents. The text and artwork engage children with rhymes embedded within the prose and simple cartoon drawings. The story is followed by extensive endnotes to parents explaining much about the emotional life of children and counseling that a grumpy child may be experiencing many things, among them fear, feelings of anxiety, sadness, guilt, even hunger. A useful book for caregivers.--Teresa Pfeifer, Alfred Zanetti Montessori Magnet School, Springfield, MA --School Library Journal, March 2010

Gold Recipient: Growing Up / Personal Growth -- Mom's Choice Award for Children's Picture Books 2010,

"With funny rhymes and a silly chant, The Grouchies shows kids simple and fun ways to turn around grouchy moods." -- iParenting Media Award Winner

About this edition

• Publisher: Magination Press
• Publication date: 2009
• ISBN 10: 143380543X
• ISBN 13: 9781433805431
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 32
• Illustrator: Mack Steve