When a girl named Maya wakes up in a “crispy, cranky, grumpy, grouchy mood,” she tries to spread her gloom around (“The only thing Maya wanted to do was grouch around the house and share her bad mood”), but her cat, younger brothers, and grandmother aren’t having any of it. It’s indefatigable Gramma who wears down Maya’s defenses by making one goofy suggestion after another. “Bathing baby elephants would probably be a bad idea today if you’re grumpy,” she tells Maya, who rolls her eyes in response. “I did have plans to slide down the neck of a giraffe later,” she continues, “but I guess we can reschedule.” The cheerful palette of debut talent Pippin-Mathur’s palette is a force for positivity in itself, combating Maya’s grumpiness with brightly colored watercolor washes. Maya’s hair is basically an extension of her personality, a giant, unruly mass of orange that surges and swirls as she stomps and scowls, but calms down when Gramma finally gets a smile out of Maya. Pippin-Mathur is a mother herself, and one suspects that Gramma’s methodology is grounded in real-life research. Ages 5–7. (May)

"Lighter than Alexander’s bad day and less emotional than Sophie’s, this is still a visual delight from a new author with a charismatic cast of characters."  —Kirkus Reviews


"The cheerful palette of debut talent Pippin-Mathur’s palette is a force for positivity in itself, combating Maya’s grumpiness with brightly colored watercolor washes."  —Publishers Weekly


"...encourage a giggle or two by sharing this story. The bright colors and funny illustrations may attract the attention of young children while the story is read."  —Carrie Hane Hung, Children's Literature


"Lighter than Alexander’s bad day and less emotional than Sophie’s, this is still a visual delight from a new author with a charismatic cast of characters." — Kirkus Reviews


"This is a heart-warming family story with an understanding and clever grandmother. Great word choice and bright, colorful, engaging illustrations will appeal to the younger audience." —Sharon Turpin, pscreviews.org

PreS-Gr 3—Maya woke up on the wrong side of the bed. She doesn't want to read or go outside and play, and she tries to spread her "crispy, cranky, grumpy, grouchy" mood as she "glumps, clumps and thumps" around the house. She scowls at her grandmother, who hopes to improve her disposition by suggesting outrageous activities such as hunting for hippos, tickling tarantulas, and bathing baby elephants, which eventually make it hard for Maya to keep a smile off her face. Children will identify with the youngster, and parents may wish to try Gramma's clever technique when faced with an out-of-sorts child. The text could be used for a lesson on alliteration, rhyming, sequencing, and more. It's also perfect for enriching vocabulary as the descriptive words are in bold on each page. The busy and colorful pencil, ink, and watercolor illustrations add to the charm of this story as Maya's out-of-control hair is transformed into neat ponytails as her mood improves.—Sarah Polace, Cuyahoga Public Library System, OH

Although the title character is Maya, this story is actually about her clever grandmother, who tames both the grumpy child and her chaotic hair. When Maya wakes up on the wrong side of the bed, she does not know why she is grumpy. "She was just in a crispy, cranky, grumpy, grouchy mood." Not only that, her hair grows ever more unruly and invasive as Maya spreads her gloom throughout the house. With a smirk and a knowing eye, Gramma begins to untangle the moody mess. "Well then," says Gramma, "I guess that means no hunting for hippos after breakfast." Pippin-Mathur's watercolor-and-ink illustrations capture all of the whimsical and wacky things grumpy people would never do, like bathing baby elephants and tickling tarantulas. With patience and imagination, Gramma's humorous ideas slowly push away the blues, and Maya's sweet disposition returns. Delightfully, Gramma keeps her promise, and readers find Maya and her twin brothers playing with hippos, crocodiles, elephants and even tarantulas. Lighter than Alexander's bad day and less emotional than Sophie's, this is still a visual delight from a new author with a charismatic cast of characters. (Picture book. 4-8)