When anger breeds more anger, laughter is the contagious solution. Waking up in a bad mood, the Grumpies have invaded every part of a little girl’s day. The mischievous three, Grumpy, Grumpier, and Grumpiest, cause her trouble with everything she tries to do, from jiggling the breakfast table so her milk spills, to hiding one shoe just before getting dressed for school, to splattering paint in art class and dropping her homework in a puddle. The angrier the little girl becomes, the more trouble her unwanted companions gleefully create. At day’s end, too weary to be any more irate, the girl breaks out in a weak smile and with each new disaster, begins to giggle, then laugh uproariously until the threatened Grumpies retreat with a goodbye wave while she thankfully retires in a good mood with a goodnight kiss from Mom. Mixed-media cartoon-style illustrations depict the freckled, irritable girl constantly followed by the three friendly-monster–looking creatures in each increasingly chaotic scene. Great humorous relief to help alleviate those bad-tempered days. (Picture book. 3-6)
