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When Grandpa wakes, he's cross and cranky. He honks like an elephant into his hanky... A delightful story about visiting Grandpa and discovering that people are not quite what they seem.
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I loved this book! I wasn't too sure about the title as my father (grandpa to my daughter) can get quite sensitive with things like this but the ending was fantastic and made the whole book even better. I loved how similar the book is to my daughter and her grandpa especially the beginning where the little girl is hiding behind her mum before going into the house, this is my daughter through and through.
Right throughout the book the grandpa, with a hand covering his mouth, asks the little girl "are you grizzling or are you singing" which I thought was cute and is something my daughter also liked to repeat with me, finally at the end of the book the little girl responds with "I'm singing" to which the grandpa removes his hand and shows his great big grin which he has had the whole time.
It's a lovely ending to a lovely book and I think it could make a good reminder to the grumpier grandpa's out there. Little children can be pretty scared of a grumpy looking man even if they love them to bits and even when they a just kidding around. But even though the little girl is a bit scared of her grandpa you can really see the love at the end of the book.
The illustrations throughout the book are very simple but display the story perfectly. They are nice and bright to capture the attention of the intended age but complex enough to keep the attention of adults reading the book.
I wasn't too sure what it think of Grumpy Grandpa when we first got this book. My girls call my father-in-law Grandpa and at 81 years old he can come across as grumpy even to me at times but we all know he loves his little girls to bits and they really love him too. I am curious to see what he thinks of this book but I'm also not brave enough to show it to him.
In this book the girl is afraid of her grandpa as she doesn't understand his jokes and playful teasing. She clings other mother until she finally realises he is great. Her mother encourages her and eventually she softens towards him. It is written n a lovely rhythm and there is a bit of repetition which the children joined in on on the second reading.
There is a delightful illustration on the last page of the two of them walking together holding hands which I often see my youngest doing with her grandpa. I love how the inside front and back cover are the same plaid as grandpa's shirt. The simple illustration show great detail with the facial expressions, posture and even bushy eye brows.
Haha this book is almost a perfect match for my stepdad or my son's poppa so we thought it was absolutely great. The grandpa in the story seems grumpy and snarly to the little girl but really he wasn't as she found out later in the story. It reminds me of Poppa because he always seems grumpy and snarly and just like the grandpa in the story he says are you whinging when the kids act up. He's not really grumpy though and will always give big hugs.
The funniest bit in the story was the Grandpa snoring on the couch, which again Poppa has mastered too, and just like the grandpa in the story he wakes up all cranky. It really was quite a funny book with the Grandpa being grumpy in the things he did. It has a nice message about how people aren't always what you expect and the Grandpa in the story was really kind and friendly, like the Grandpa in the story who really has a heart of gold.
The story has a nice rhyme to it which makes it easy to read. I like books that rhyme as they flow so nicely when you are reading. The illustrations are great they really portray the grumpiness in the wrinkles and creases on Grandpa's head, and the look of worry on the little girls. They are just simple hand drawn pictures but they are bright and colourful and bold so they add to the story.
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