Customer Reviews

Grumblebunny

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Why add to the 5 star reviews already here?

This book fills a special niche. Today's kids are so overscheduled, overpressured, overgraded (somehow this is happening at the same time that every kid has to be a winner in playground games, but that's another story) and they often don't know how to relieve their stress. This is a book that says it's ok to be grumpy, it's ok to think for yourself, and sometimes the world is such a nasty place that you need to go back to bed.

When I use this book with children, it's generally kids second grade and over, and I ask them, "Do you ever wake up grumpy, and some grown up tells you to just Cheer Up?" The kids always sigh with recognition and relief.

I wouldn't recommend it for 4 year olds, who lack irony and are still learning what it is to be polite. The very humor of this book is that good manners can be overdone--not something a very young child can understand. Possibly something a few of the reviewers didn't understand, either.

Bob Hartman is a subtle comic and a good observer of human behavior. The illustrations are appropriately dark and silly. A very funny book!

My title might sound indelicate and "rude" to the wrong browser here....but the moral of this story, and there actually is one in between the gads and gads of funny, is far more important than what good manners are. Nearly all children's books and tv shows, movies, etc foster a sense of perfecting social interactions and creating good will--all laudable and a definite priority in educating our youth.
Yet, as a parent I find it all adding up to be a little bit too saccharine for my taste.....too vanilla. Something needs to connect with our "lesser-than selves" and show us that not all of our less desirable moods and behaviors are failures of the soul.

Waking up grumpy, being cantankerous, not trusting everybody who comes along one's path, being able to judge a bad situation, etc are parts of being alive--and oddly enough (!), they have a definite value. This is where almost any human, especially children--who are so often encouraged to not feel their own feelings and to "be good" instead--can wish for some solace and understanding.

This is a humorous smart book and is NOT a book of etiquette. A responsible parent would model and teach such qualities, but should also teach a child to be at least age-appropriately streetwise--
empowerment and intellect and even a healthy ability to call it like it is and find a way out of scary situations can save your child's life for the rest of his or her life.

Grumblebunny, as grumpy and non-participatory as he is, is also using his intellect. He may be permanently waking up on the wrong side of the bed, but it takes all kinds--it truly does. The main idea is that this adorably cranky bunny is a facet of us all on any given day.

My five year old, and I as well, find this book incredibly funny because it is so true. Only so much joy and sunshine, only so many "shiny happy people" can "keep it real."

Give this book a chance and don't expect it to be a book on please and thank you. This is a Red Riding Hood in reverse, wherein at least one of the main characters is with it enough to dodge a life and death situation--and therefore nobody gets eaten. Hartman applaudes the critic and cynic in all of us--or at least the use of intuition. The illustrations are more than equal to the text. At last an endlessly entertaining book that I can use funny voices on with relish!

A WONDERFUL CHILDREN'S BOOK THAT IS UNBELIEVABLY OVERLOOKED.
THIS SHOULD BE ON EVERY CHILD'S BOOKSHELF!

A new favorite read-aloud at our house. The too good for their own good bunnies play grumpy at the request of their cousin Grumble Bunny to out wit a wolf and escape his soup pot. As one reviewer noted--the language is not always "sweet" but at my house, my six and nine year old know what kind of talk is acceptable and can enjoy hilarious stories like this and not talk "grumbly".

The art work in this book grows on you. It was clearly done by someone with training and imagination. The story is about a curmudgeon for a change, and the theme is that even curmudgeons can make contributions.

One grumpy bunny (the title character) is forced to endure the mindless cheer of his three den-mates, until a wolf captures them all and pops them into his stew pot. Quick-thinking Grumblebunny uses his natural bad temper to save the day.

This has been a big family favorite since we borrowed it from the library. My son, especially, likes to read with the growly voice of Grumblebunny. Both kids (ages 6 and 8) love that the grouchy bunny won in the end.

I, personally, don't like the art as much as they do. The character likenesses are a little too distorted for my taste.

Not only did my 5 children enjoy this story, but I found myself laughing through the whole book. I found the illustrations to be especially enjoyable. They really captured your imagination and brought the story to life. I highly recommend this book for all ages to sit down and read together.

Not only did my 5 children enjoy this story, but I found myself laughing through the whole book. I found the illustrations to be especially enjoyable. They really captured your imagination and brought the story to life. I highly recommend this book for all ages to sit down and read together.

Grumblebunny's main plot is there are 4 bunnies, 3 are sweet, but the other one grumbles a lot. The problem is that the bunnies where caught by Bad Wolf Peter the Rabbit Eater. So the solution is to annoy the wolf so much that he will let them free. Characters are: Grumblebunny, Bad Wolf Peter the Rabbit Eater, Cuddlemop, Sweetsnuffle, and Pretty. Setting: Bad Wolf Peter's cave. (In his cooking pot). Genre: Fiction. Theme: Sometimes you need to stop being nice and sweet to get yourself out of a scary situation.

I loved this book since I was in 1st grade when my dad read it to me and I still love it now. It is funny and exciting. My favorite part was when the bunnies where in the cooking pot and they played Grumblebunny's "little game." There no parts that I didn't like and I think the writer did a really good job!

We happened across this jewel at the library. My talented 17 yr old niece, visiting from New Zealand, made this book forever memorable in all our minds. With her somewhat Brittish accent, she gave each of the sickly sweet cousins of Grumble Bunny the funniest voices, especially the parts when they would get snippy at Grumble Bunny. One night at bedtime, my daughter and her would take turns making up new adventures for Cuddlemop, Sweetsnuffle, Pretty and Grumble Bunny. It was so funny to hear the new dialoque with the exagerated sick sweet Brittish accent. We are all hoping that there are more adventures written with these characters. We all wanted to frame the picture of them running back to their home at the end of the story. The art work is hillarious and very unique. My neice will have it to hang up and make her laugh when she gets homesick as I am ordering 2 copies; one for her, and one for my 5 yr old daughter and 2 yr old son. I know she will also enjoy sharing it with all her siblings in New Zealand when she returns. This book is fun for all ages.

Well, kind of dark for a childrens book. But there might be some good lessons on positive outlooks, but I read it once to my 4 yr old son and now he DOES NOT ever want to read it again. He said it is too scary and mean..