Emma is at her grandma’s house and she is feeling crabby. Grandma to the rescue! This sweet book by prolific children’s author Susannah Mcfarlane is beautifully illustrated by Tamsin Ainslie. It provides a creative resolution to a bad mood. It won’t just work for Emma, but for grandma and anyone else who reads or listens to the book. Draw your “grumble“ on a piece of paper. Use the directions in the book to fold the paper into a boat. And then put it in a moving body of water and let it float away. Wonderful idea. The author comments that paper is readily biodegradable, so points are given for environmental awareness as well. Nice presentation, great lesson!

With thanks to NetGalley for a free advance e-copy of this book, I have written this review voluntarily. (Publication date is April 15, 2024.)

This is a cute book with really pretty pictures. It teaches children how to cope with frustrations (or grumbles!) in a creative way. I like that the book did not invalidate Emma’s feelings or tell her to stop.

What a sweet book about taking your “grumbles” and letting them sail away!

Emma is feeling grumpy that she doesn’t get to go to the pirate party with her brother. Thankfully, her grandma has a plan. They write out their grumbles on paper, fold them into paper boats, and let them sail away.

This book would be a great tool to help children identify and do something about their grumpy feelings.

Thank you to NetGalley and Charlesbridge for sending me a copy of this book to review.