A grumpy, Grinch-like creature discovers that the love he tries to get rid of keeps coming back in this picture book.
Grumbler, a potato-shaped figure with a broken, polka-dot pot for a cap, lives alone in the dump. In a crabby mood, he kicks a can of tuna—right into the paws of a hungry cat. When the feline thanks him, a heart shape extends from her chest in wonderfully cartoonish fashion. A flying heart floats over to Grumbler. Irritated by the itchy love, Grumbler tries to give the heart to two squirrels. But the love multiplies and returns. Grumbler attempts to give the love to some bunnies and then to a whole pond of creatures. Grumbler thinks he’s finally escaped and returns to the dump. But when he sees that love has brought all the animals to visit him, he realizes maybe it isn’t so bad after all. Haughee (How I Met My Other, 2019, etc.) handles the story’s message with just the right amount of cranky humor to keep it from becoming too sweet. The vocabulary challenges are all fun-to-pronounce words that young readers will enjoy, and Veselinovic’s (Where Will You Go, Ricky Jo?, 2018, etc.) charming, kid-friendly digital illustrations, populated with affable forest denizens, should be a hit. Grumbler’s heart may not grow three sizes, but he’ll keep the Grinch in good company.
A clever and heartwarming tale starring a grouchy hero.