\n Though Jim may have been grumpy because a chimp\u2019s an ape and not a monkey, readers will enjoy and maybe learn from his…\n <\/p>\n
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It\u2019s a wonderful day in the jungle, so why\u2019s Jim Panzee so grumpy?<\/p>\n
When Jim woke up, nothing was right: “The sun was too bright, the sky was too blue, and bananas were too sweet.” Norman the gorilla asks Jim why he\u2019s so grumpy, and Jim insists he\u2019s not. They meet Marabou, to whom Norman confides that Jim\u2019s grumpy. When Jim denies it again, Marabou points out that Jim\u2019s shoulders are hunched; Jim stands up. When they meet Lemur, Lemur points out Jim\u2019s bunchy eyebrows; Jim unbunches them. When he trips over Snake, Snake points out Jim\u2019s frown\u2026so Jim puts on a grimacelike smile. Everyone has suggestions to brighten his mood: dancing, singing, swinging, swimming\u2026but Jim doesn\u2019t feel like any of that. He gets so fed up, he yells at his animal friends and stomps off\u2026then he feels sad about yelling. He and Norman (who regrets dancing with that porcupine) finally just have a sit and decide it\u2019s a wonderful day to be grumpy\u2014which, of course, makes them both feel a little better. Suzanne Lang\u2019s encouragement to sit with your emotions (thus allowing them to pass) is nearly Buddhist in its take, and it will be great bibliotherapy for the crabby, cranky, and cross. Oscar-nominated animator Max Lang\u2019s cartoony illustrations lighten the mood without making light of Jim\u2019s mood; Jim has comically long arms, and his facial expressions are quite funny.<\/p>\n
Though Jim may have been grumpy because a chimp\u2019s an ape and not a monkey, readers will enjoy and maybe learn from his journey. <\/p>\n
(Picture book. 4-8)<\/i><\/p><\/div>\n\n
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Pub Date:<\/b> May 15, 2018<\/p>\n
ISBN:<\/b> 978-0-553-53786-4<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n\n
Page Count:<\/b> 32<\/p>\n
Publisher:<\/b> Random House<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n\n
Review Posted Online:<\/b> Feb. 18, 2018<\/p>\n
Kirkus Reviews Issue:<\/b> March 1, 2018<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n
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