It is Perfect Picture Book Friday time. No matter what mood you are in, I hope have enjoy this book.
Title: Grumpy Monkey
Author: Suzanne Lang
Illustrated by: Max Lang
Publisher: Random House, 2018
First Lines: One wonderful day Jim Panzee woke to discover that nothing was right. The sun was too bright, the sky was too blue, and the bananas were too sweet.
Themes: Emotions, Grumpiness, self-awareness, self-expression
Synopsis and Why I love this book:
Sometimes you wake up and you are grumpy. No secret reason. Just grumpy. Jim Panzee wakes up grumpy one morning and everyone tries to help him enjoy the wonderful day. It doesn't help. Read Grumpy Monkey to find out how Jim deals with his grumpy mood.
The illustrations and characters make me think of Rudyard Kiplings The Elephant's Child. Which would pair well with this book if you were going on a theme of African animals, problem solving, and fun stories.
It also reminds me of the animated movie The Jungle Book (Again by Rudyard Kipling).
Fun emotive characters that any child can relate to.
Did you catch the name? Jim Panzee! How clever is that?
Activities:
The more we talk about and understand emotions and their transience, the better off we are in dealing with them when they occur. Have conversations about emotions. Discuss where the emotions are coming from. How does it feel? What does the child's face look like in the midst of the emotions? Provide acceptance for all of the emotions. The happy ones too..
Parenting tips of dealing with negative emotions.
Transient emotions and how to navigate through them.
Expressing Emotions Activities
Finally, if you want to find more cool picture books check out Susanna Hill's Blog where you can look for reviews by book, title, and by themes.
I'm already laughing off my seat about the main character's name - Jim Panzee! I can see this is a book I need to check out.
ReplyDeleteMakes me giggle every time.
DeleteHaha, great use of humor to broach our less than stellar moods!
ReplyDeleteLooks like a great book on an important topic.
ReplyDeleteI have had my days of waking up feeling grumpy for no reason and all I wanted was to allow it to pass and not have people tell me how to fix it, so I like this book as a reminder to let emotions be. They will pass (unless there's a bigger problem).
DeleteThis is me today! Thank you for giving me something to laugh at...and the opportunity to laugh at myself. I'm putting this one on my TBR list. Cheers!
ReplyDeleteGlad it helped.
DeleteLoved the name! What a great book for those grumps that just seem to appear. Thanks for highlighting it.
ReplyDeleteYes, those grumps can be sneaky and they tend to disappear on their own.
DeleteI love the title - and the name Jim Panzee! definitely putting on my TBR list
ReplyDelete:)
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