Llama Llama Mad at Mama (Book)

Dewdney, A. (2007). Llama Llama mad at mama. New York, NY: Viking. ISBN: 978-0-670-06240-9

Interest Level: Ages 5 & under
Genre: Picture Book
Subjects/Themes: Llamas, Animals, Moms, Shopping, Anger, Temper Tantrums, Stories in Rhyme

Plot: Little Llama has to go to the store with Mama instead of getting to stay home and play. Little by little Llama gets upset. Eventually he gets so upset that he has a tantrum and starts throwing everything out of the shopping basket. Mama tells Llama to stop and that enough is enough. Mama calmly explains that she thinks shopping is boring too but at least she has Llama with her to make it better. Together they clean up Llama’s mess and then work as a team to get the shopping done.

Personal Thoughts: The illustrations convey the emotions in the story very well. Young children will easily relate to little Llama’s frustration about having to follow mom around while she does her chores.  The rhyming text flows easily making it a great choice for a storytime book.  Parents can use this story to help address tantrum problems and start conversations with children about how to make boring chores more fun.

Author's Website: Anna Dewdney's Website
Other Books by the Author: Llama llama holiday drama (2010); Roly Poly pangolin (2010); Nobunny's perfect (2008); Grumpy Gloria (2006); Llama llama red pajama (2005)

Gruff the Grump (Book)

Smallman, S. (2009). Gruff the grump. Intercourse, PA: Good Books. ISBN: 978-1-56148-669-4

Interest Level: Ages 5 & under
Genre: Picture Book
Subjects/Themes: Bears, Rabbits, Kindness, Grumpiness, Gifts, Moods

Plot: Gruff is a great big grumpy bear.  He lives is a musty dusty cave and doesn't care what anyone else thinks about him.  One day he rescues a rabbit stuck in a tree.  The rabbit gives Gruff a "star" he found as a way of saying thank you.  Gruff brings "star" or golden leaf home which motivates him to clean a part of his cave.  On a different day Gruff rescues the rabbit from the river and is given another star.  Gruff ends up cleaning the rest of his cave but becomes sad at how lonely he feels.  Sad turns to mad and Gruff ends up yelling at the little rabbit when he comes knocking.  The little rabbit starts crying and Gruff tries different things to cheer him up, finally apologizing for his behavior.  The animals become friends and end up playing with all the stars.

Personal Thoughts: Gruff the bear could be any grumpy child.  The giving of gold "stars" by the little rabbit is reminiscent of gold stars children might get in a classroom for good behavior, in Gruff's case in return for being kind and helping someone else.  The story also suggests that cleaning a messy room can help cheer a grumpy person up.  Children might also relate to how the bear snaps at the little rabbit, not because he was mad at the rabbit but because he was upset and lonely.  Acting silly doesn't stop rabbit's tears, but apologizing does (another good lesson for young children).  The illustrations are wonderfully done with colored pencils in fall and forest colors.  A great addition for bear, fall, or kindness themed storytimes.  Also a good picture book in a preschool classroom or at home to help introduce a rewards chart.

Other Books by the Author: The Lamb Who Came For Dinner (2007); There's No Such Things As Monsters! (2009); The Very Greedy Bee (2007); The Monkey with the Bright Blue Bottom (2009); Dragon Stew (2010);