Maya Was Grumpy

by Courtney Pippin-Mathur

An artful mixture of fantasy and reality, humor and heart, Maya Was Grumpy celebrates the power of imagination and humor to improve moods. Maya wakes up on the wrong side of the bed, tangled in her blanket, and in a crispy, cranky, grumpy, grouchy mood. She doesn’t want to read or color or go outside to play. What’s worse, she’s determined to share her grumpiness with everyone as she glumps, clumps, and thumps around the house. But when Maya growls at her grandmother, Gramma graciously takes Maya’s mood in stride, and even has a Gramma suggests a series of unusual activities that Maya will probably not want to do since she’s feeling grumpy—and then dismisses her own silly suggestions before Maya can reject them. Children will find it hard to keep from smiling as they watch Maya’s grouchiness dissolve into glee at Gramma’s giggle-inducing ideas, while adults will find Gramma’s clever tactic a useful strategy to add to their repertoire when kids are grumpy.

Genres: Picture Books, Emotion, Childrens, Family, Fiction, Humor, Storytime

32 pages, Hardcover

First published March 11, 2013

Reviews

[Kaitlyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Adorable! My Daughter loves it! She connects with Maya and loves to read this book with her own gramma! Definitely in the nightly rotation for us!

[Cheri · Rating 4 out of 5]

A minor character is persisten, the Grandmother.
I used this for a 2nd Grade Reading Group. We were looking at the Five Mindset Stances: Empathy, Flexibility, Resilience, Persistence and Optimism. This week was Persistence - Sticking with something even when it is challenging. Being persistent means you try and try again even when it feels hard. If something feels "hard" it might take time and effort.

[IRIFF · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is great! I love how her hair became bigger and more unruly as Maya became grumpier throughout the day. I love Maya didn't have a specific reason that sure was mad. Isn't that true, in life? I like how Gramma reacted with a little silliness. This is one my son (4yo) asks for again and again.

[Angel Ross · Rating 4 out of 5]

Maya didn't know why she was grumpy she was just in a grouchy mood. She didn't want to read, color, eat, wear her favorite shorts, or go outside to play. She just wanted to walk around the house and share her mood. She went into her grandmothers’ room and growled at the cat. Then she went into the living room and made faces at birds. She went into the kitchen and growled at her little brothers, and they threw food and laughed. Finally, she got a chance to growl at her grandma. Her grandma noticed she was grumpy, so she told her she assumes that means no hunting for hippos after breakfast and no putting her head in a crocodile’s mouth before lunch, and bathing baby elephants since she's grumpy. Maya rolled her eyes, and her grandma said maybe no tickling tarantulas. Grandma explained how she had plans to slide down a giraffe’s neck since Maya is grumpy. Also, there is no swinging with the monkeys. Maya finally let a giggle escape her lips and gave grandma a big hug. Grandma packed Maya a snack and fixed her hair. They went to do all the fun things grandma mentioned, and Maya felt much better than before. This book is good for kids because it teaches them that just because they're in a bad mood doesn't make it okay to take it out on others. That message is like the book “Grumpy Monkey” because he took his grumpiness out on everyone else. He and Maya both realized they have the power to change their moods. This story has cute and colorful illustrations. Overall, this story teaches children how they can miss out on so many things because they want to be mean and grumpy while those around them are happy and having fun.

[Mrs.MakesReadingFun · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely LOVED it!! We all know what it feels like to be in a grumpy mood- you wake up grumpy, and just can’t shake off the bad mood! In this colourful picture book, Maya feels “crispy, cranky, grouchy, grumpy” and stomps about her morning. Her grandma finds a way to cheer her up, and she’s able to shake off her mood & have a great time!
I love the descriptive words to show feelings and emotions. I love how the grandma cheers up Maya in a realistic and fun way! And I really love the illustrations- they are bright, whimsical, and full of emotion.

Perfect for young readers, bedtime stories, classroom teaching, or a library read aloud!

There are some awesome teacher/parent guides to accompany this book that include some great games, activities, and discussion questions. Find them on the Flashlight Press website.

[Anne Patkau · Rating 5 out of 5]

Surprise ending, back in the real world, I never saw coming. Happy bouncy art. Cheery twin brothers tag along. Bent over, spindly legs support their aged gran. Everyone looks just right. Just as they should. Colors wash around and tumble just right.

Maya's angry hair frizzes over both page sides. Her stuffed toy reflects her changing expressions on his small face. Sometimes we just wake up grumbly. Only Gramma knows what to do.

Elephants spray water fountains. Swing by hands with monkeys. Slide down giraffe necks. What a fun morning a gran can invent.

[Viviane Elbee · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked Maya's hair. It seemed to grow wilder, longer and crazier with each grumpy action. Fun watercolor illustrations.

My kids both liked this story and had fun inspecting the last illustration to make sure that everything previously mentioned in the book was present.

[Lynn Davidson · Rating 4 out of 5]

When Maya woke up one morning she felt very grumpy and she didn't know why. In the illustrations, as she fed her grumpy mood her hair gets more and more wild and swirly. Grandma knows how to tame her mood. This is a sweet story children will enjoy, because we all get grumpy sometimes.

[Cheryl · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think that if I had hair as unruly as Maya's I'd be even more irritable myself.

I'm glad Maya has such a good grandma, and good playground, to help her get out of her bad mood. What do the rest of us have to help us?

[Mae · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars

[Karla · Rating 5 out of 5]

GREAT book on emotions

LOVED the watercolor and line artwork

rich vocabulary & great message

Simply, LOVED it- kiddos did too

buy this for an early childhood classroom!

[Aneesa · Rating 5 out of 5]

I know a little grump myself.

[J.]

AR 2.8

[Stacy · Rating 2 out of 5]

My students liked the pictures more than the story.

[♥♣Mary♦♠ If She So Pleases · Rating 5 out of 5]

A cute short storytime read.

[Delonna Gibbs · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wonderful story about feeling grumpy and how to turn that day around. The images are beautiful and fun. Plan to add this book to my library.

[Deanna · Rating 5 out of 5]

I could ( and did) watch this over and over. It is so funny and Miss Jill reads it so well. Kinder and 1st loved it!

[Elizabeth · Rating 4 out of 5]

Maya Was Grumpy by Courtney Pippin-Mathur - Grandma tries her best to chase Maya's bad mood away! Happy Reading!

[KaitandMaddie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was cute and we know a Maya which made it funnier.

[Biddy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a great book to be read in conjunction with Seeger's "Bully"! Maya also gets out of the wrong side of the bed - a fact very well illustrated by the adjectives used by the author to describe her mood! All children will identify with Maya, be it as being grumpy or as being brought out of the grumpiness! The author demonstrates well how one's "bad moods" can be visited on those we love and how those moods could lead to bullying.
However I do have one reservation which is to question the Gramma's need to lift Maya's mood. I would have preferred that Maya accomplish that by herself. There won't always be someone around to cheer one up - we need to learn how to do that by ourselves!

[Samantha Street · Rating 4 out of 5]

The main character in this story was Maya, and obviously she wasnt in the best mood. The story starts with her getting up in a "grumpy" mood and follows her through her day as she goes through different emotions. This is a great book for the classroom, and can be used in a discussion on bad and good attitudes. By the end of the story Maya is in a good mood. This story also has sequencing and the children can help the teacher by guessing what will happen next. The story also introduces some fun animals, lots of adjectives and adverbs!

[Eric Summers · Rating 3 out of 5]

Maya's hair is the best thing about this book. I can see what the author was trying to do, but it didn't flow very well and the Kindergarteners I shared it with didn't really seem to enjoy it as much as some of the other selections we have gone through.

Maya wakes up angry but doesn't know why she is angry. We have all been there. Luckily, Maya has a silly grandma who knows how to get her out of her bad mood.

This is not a bad book by any stretch, and some kids may enjoy it. I just believe that it does not stand out.

[Barbara · Rating 3 out of 5]

For unknown reasons, Maya doesn't greet the day with joy; in fact, she is in a very grumpy mood, a mood that persists all day. Even while her grandmother comes up with pursuits to amuse her, she maintains her grumpiness. The ideas her grandmother comes up with are increasingly outlandish activities, such as sliding down a giraffe's neck, and finally, Maya can't maintain her bad mood any longer. I like how her relative doesn't pander to her but merely points out what she's going to be missing. The pencil, ink, and watercolor illustrations are filled with colorful images, enhanced digitally.

[Terry]

My kids picked this book from the pile, and we had additional requests to read it, too! T They thought Grandma was just as hilarious as Maya does and I suspect that they deeply identified with Maya.

This is a great book. Maya is adorable even as she grumps around! The illustrations are bright and clever. The end is a fun surprise. I wasn't surprised my kids liked this story.

[Shelli · Rating 4 out of 5]

Maya woke up on the wrong side of the bed and was grumpy, grumpy, grumpy. Her only desire was to spread her grumpies around. We all have had days like this so this book is very relatable. Maya's grandmother tries everything to help Maya shake the grumpies and continue on and have a fun day. This was a fun read aloud to share and kids will love it.

[Julie · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a fun book - I am sending to my niece, Teagan...

The artwork is fun and colorful - reminds me of my other niece's curly, red hair.

Fun and easy words for the young to read and enjoy. And, the last page - fantastic way to pull all the animals together - that was a huge surprise for me.

(fyi... this book was won in a goodreads giveaway)

[Marissa Elera · Rating 3 out of 5]

A nice option when a patron is looking for books about bad moods, handling emotions, etc. I enjoy the connection between Gramma's adventures and the playground equipment. Superior options are Finn Throws a Fit by David Elliott, When Sophie Gets Angry- Really Really Angry by Molly Bang, or Grump Groan Growl by Bell Hooks.

[Sandi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Colorful, wacky pictures and text that allows the readers to explore sounds and emotions make this one a fun read. My favorite part has to be Maya's hair. That little girl has a head of hair that won't quit. A fun read that can easily segue into a lessen about emotions or imagination.

[Paula · Rating 3 out of 5]

Maya doesn't know why she's grumpy. She's just in a cranky, grumpy, grouchy mood. Luckily, Gramma isn't ruffled by Maya's mood. She reminds Maya of all the fun things she might miss out on because of her grumpiness. Will Gramma's silly suggestions coax Maya out of her miserable mood?

[Great Books · Rating 4 out of 5]

Maya woke up grouchy and grumbly with wild big hair which gets crazier with each turned page. Will grandma’s suggestions of hunting hippos, bathing baby elephants or tickling tarantulas be enough to tame Maya’s hair and chase away her bad mood?
Reviewer #14