  | Full Text Reviews: Booklist - 04/15/2016 Poor Penguin is grumpy—not for any good reason, just garden-variety grumpiness. The problem is he can’t shake it. He takes off his yellow slicker, boots, and hat, but he is still grumpy. Off come his stripy socks (still grumpy), polka dot overalls (still grumpy), and even his heart-spangled underpants, but he is still grumpy. Will he ever be happy again? Luckily, after taking a bath, snuggling up in his favorite pj’s, sipping a cup of cocoa, and reading a cozy bedtime story, all is finally well again. Messer’s charming block-print illustrations, in stormy blues and grays with bold splashes of color, have a pleasant texture and nicely convey Penguin’s emotions, mostly through his emotive eyebrows. The big, expressive images on crisp white pages combine with the large font and straightforward sentences to make this especially well suited for sharing with a group. Little ones will likely giggle over the subtly bashful, disrobing penguin and sympathize with his cloudy mood, and the gentle lesson—grouchiness is fleeting—is a comforting one, for both kids and parents. - Copyright 2016 Booklist. Loading...
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