The Unbudgeable Curmudgeon

by Matthew Burgess, Fiona Woodcock (Illustrator)

Overview

A BANK STREET BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR

"For any kid or parent that's having a bit of a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day, this book is an instant pick me up. Great for siblings, too!" —Red Tricycle

"After reading aloud, listeners might discover their own ways to unbudge curmudgeons."—Publishers Weekly

"Playful language and a subtly rhyming text create an enjoyable read-aloud about frustrations and bad moods." —Booklist

What do you do with a curmudgeon that just won't budge? Why, shake off the grumpy 'tude and embrace the fun!

Have you ever seen a curmudgeon that looks like your brother, but is in such a bad mood you hardly recognize him? You can try all the peanut butter sandwiches and brownies you have, but he is not moving.

Nothing works, especially nudging, and he just makes you so grumpy that eventually you have no choice but to fight back—and then...

Have you ever become a curmudgeon that just won't budge?

Matthew Burgess's playful depiction of bad moods and sibling rivalry is matched perfectly by Fiona Woodcock's unique childlike art style.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780399556623
Publisher:	Random House Children's Books
Publication date:	03/12/2019
Pages:	32
Sales rank:	205,817
Product dimensions:	8.60(w) x 10.10(h) x 0.40(d)
Age Range:	4 - 8 Years

About the Author

Matthew Burgess is the author of Enormous Smallness: A Story of E. E. Cummings, illustrated by Kris Di Giacomo. He has been a poet-in-residence in New York City elementary schools through the Teachers & Writers Collaborative since 2001, and he is currently completing his PhD at the CUNY Graduate Center. His work has appeared in various magazines and journals, and he recently received an award from the Fund for Poetry. He teaches creative writing and composition at Brooklyn College and lives in Brooklyn, New York. Follow him on Twitter at @MatthewBurgess.

Fiona Woodcock attended the Glasgow School of Art and, since her graduation, has been working freelance on animated films, commercials, and illustration assignments. Fiona likes to draw with children's blow pens, and experiments with cutting stencils and printing techniques. She finds this playful approach inspires fresh ways to visualize ideas. Her previous books include Hiding Heidi, Poppy and the Blooms, and Poppy, Buttercup, Bluebell & Dandy. She lives in London. See more of her work at fionawoodcock.com.

Editorial Reviews

01/14/2019

In this picture book by Burgess (Enormous Smallness: A Story of E.E. Cummings), what looks at first like a shock-headed monster proves to be an angry sibling. The glowering creature has a head full of flaming red fur that matches his furry feet, and he’s trapped his sister’s knapsack under his chair. “How do you budge/ an unbudgeable curmudgeon,/ who really refuses to budge?” the text asks. She attempts bribery, considers violence: “It wouldn’t be right/ to bludgeon the curmudgeon/ but maybe he deserves one humongous nudge.” After a push-and-pull between them knocks her to the floor, the bad mood passes from brother to sister. Her red hair fluffs up in into a raging orange orb. Will she go full curmudgeon? “It can be tricky/ to get the gunk off/ the funkiest funks,” the narrator says as the brother considers his options. Playing a favorite song helps; for now, there’s peace. Burgess’s clever wordplay stays loose, reveling in the funny sounds of language without hewing to a rigid structure. Woodcock (Look) uses rubber stamps, stencils, and blow pens to add motion and energy to sweet spreads. After reading aloud, listeners might discover their own ways to unbudge curmudgeons. Ages 4–8. Author’s agent: Elena Giovinazzo, Pippin Properties. Illustrator’s agent: Alli Brydon, Bright USA. (Mar.)

Publishers Weekly

06/28/2019

PreS-Gr 1-Burgess's exploration of sibling grumpiness is playful and charming, while simultaneously demonstrating the perfect introduction to an advanced emotional concept and bonus vocabulary word. The word curmudgeon is defined on the endpapers as "A bad tempered, difficult, cranky person; a grouch." Woodcock's illustrations capture the shifting moods of a sister and brother through colorful reds and blues against a pale cream background. The artwork created using rubber stamps, stencils, and children's blow pens gives the appearance of movement and shifting perspectives in dreamy soft focus. The emotions loom large when big angry puffy red hair, claws, and sharp teeth take over the space on the page. The text includes strategies and suggestions to readers for how to approach the curmudgeon. While not always constructive, the trial-and-error approach is both entertaining and probably realistic. "…you could distract the curmudgeon by changing the subject…Look! A Chihuahua on roller skates!" Ultimately, as with any sibling relationship, the mercurial beastly moments seem to pass from brother to sister and back again. A long-suffering gray cat appears in most of the pages and adds humor through droll facial expressions and eye-rolling responses to the sibling shenanigans. VERDICT A solid purchase for larger collections. Readers will delight in the whimsical artwork and the comic but realistic relationship between siblings.-Eva Thaler-Sroussi, Wellesley Free Library, MA

School Library Journal

2018-10-28

Grouchy siblings try to shake each other in and out of bad moods.

Bouncing, irregularly rhyming text that pops with soft-G sounds explores the different ways of getting someone out of a grump-spiral. "You might ask the curmudgeon / if he wouldn't mind scooching / over a smidgen." Or: "Hugs can budge curmudgeons," and if all else fails, "Some say, / ‘If you can't budge 'em, / join 'em." The curmudgeon (defined in the beginning as "A bad-tempered, difficult, cranky person") looks like a fanged and furry orange monster that slowly distills into a white child with red hair as their mood improves. Their sibling, initially presented as human, then begins their own transformation as their mood sours, growing fangs and fuzzy, clawful paws. The art in this story is rich and satisfying, created with stamps and blow pens, and it practically bursts off the page. The text is less engaging, sometimes feeling contrived and other times cloying or preachy. The thin story closes with "It can be tricky / to get the gunk off / the funkiest funks, / but once a curmudgeon / begins to budge… // …you'd be surprised how quickly… / the grouchiness can vanish!" It's an awfully chipper signoff for a book that's supposedly about inveterate grumps. The siblings, with red hair that matches the curmudgeon's fuzz, both present white.

Explorations of bad moods can be potent source material, but this jumbled attempt will give curmudgeons one more thing to complain about. (Picture book. 4-6)

Kirkus Reviews

Playful and charming . . . [A] perfect introduction to an advanced emotional concept emotional concept and bonus vocabulary word.” —School Library Journal Online

From the Publisher