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The Growly Trilogy #3
The Growly Books: Morning (Volume 3) by Philip B. Ulrich
Growly, Chippy, and Tully have braved the Ocean and a mysterious ruined city to find C.J., the elder bear who disappeared many years before. Now, with time running out, the friends must search for clues to find a way back up The Precipice. As their journey takes them into places unknown, Growly is about to realize that sometimes the greatest adventure is finding the way back home.
Paperback
First published May 27, 2014
28 people are currently reading
149 people want to read
About the author
Philip Ulrich
9 books13 followersPhilip and Erin Ulrich live in South Carolina with their two daughters. They enjoy adventures in the wild, as long as they can be home in time for dinner. Being Australian, Phil probably has natural-born abilities to hunt and wrestle dangerous creatures. He has used these natural abilities to finish in the top four in family balloon volleyball. An avid reader at heart, Erin loves to sit with a warm cup of coffee on a comfy chair and wishes these amenities were easier to find in the wild.
When they aren't writing stories, Phil & Erin run their own business, Design by Insight (designbyinsight.net), a website and book design company. Erin is also the author of Self-Publish: Moving from Idea to Product. Phil and Erin are currently at work on the continuing adventures of Growly.
When they aren't writing stories, Phil & Erin run their own business, Design by Insight (designbyinsight.net), a website and book design company. Erin is also the author of Self-Publish: Moving from Idea to Product. Phil and Erin are currently at work on the continuing adventures of Growly.
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Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews
March 19, 2020
I enjoyed the story in this book—I think I liked #1 and #3 better than #2. It was exciting and interesting, with the same lovable characters and now the chance of getting home.
This one had the worst editing errors though; at one point, within a matter of several paragraphs, the text said they were sailing both west AND east. The geography got very confusing at one part because of things like that. And some words were repeated far too much—like bears “roaring” with laughter, and sighing (again, repeated multiple times in a short space), etc.
I also really, really wish that more space had been given at the end to C.J. and Merridy’s reunion. They had been separated for so long, but the book cut out before they got near enough to hug each other again, and Merridy didn’t even get to say anything at all.
Still, though—great series for kids.
This one had the worst editing errors though; at one point, within a matter of several paragraphs, the text said they were sailing both west AND east. The geography got very confusing at one part because of things like that. And some words were repeated far too much—like bears “roaring” with laughter, and sighing (again, repeated multiple times in a short space), etc.
I also really, really wish that more space had been given at the end to C.J. and Merridy’s reunion. They had been separated for so long, but the book cut out before they got near enough to hug each other again, and Merridy didn’t even get to say anything at all.
Still, though—great series for kids.
June 28, 2023
Oh man! I was so disappointed with the ending of this book. My son and I loved the Growly stories (despite all the passive voice and they way they land on certain words and use them over and over—glistened, amongst, dismay, etc., and the distracting amount of typos, and how the characters cried so, so often). The over-arching story, itself, was captivating for the majority of the trilogy.
Then we come to Morning. When CJ came on the scene, suddenly it was like a parent coming into the room when you’re having great fun with your friend. The conversation stops. The parent starts telling the kids what to do. No fun.
I missed the narrative that followed Growly so closely and the way that Chippy and he struggled together and problem solved. It felt like we were exploring something together and discovering new things. Initially, the stories were always looking ahead with joy, excitement, and trepidation. Later, the narrative seems to buckle under the weight of “Home.” And we don’t even get our deserved pay-off at the end. Just a split second image of them arriving in Haven and seeing familiar faces—THE END. Pouts]
Here are things I wanted; just because I MUST get this off my chest:
- CJ and Merridy to hug
- Growly’s parents’ reaction to finding out he went over the precipice instead of his adventure near Haven
- Ember and Growly seeing each other
- The bears’ reactions to Chippy and Annily
- To find out even a little about this rising water situation
Writing all this down makes me realize that, throughout this particular book, many of the good parts of the story get left out. Growly and Meegwin have a long conversation by the fire and the authors just gloss over it, CJ gets found and it feels like a big nothing. I wanted details, reactions, thoughts. Instead, it was, GROWLY: You look sick. CJ: I am fine. GROWLY: Are you sure? CJ: We have to keep going. GROWLY: Okay, Let’s go. CJ: I can’t go on. Add in a sprinkle of horses or some monkeys and that’s that.
I was expecting so much more from this book. I will say, however, it was an excellent tool for talking about the passive voice vs. active, dealing with emotions, and critiquing a book. My son and I talked about things we liked and things we didn’t. We discussed where the story fell short. That, I believe, was actually worth reading this last book.
Ultimately, though, the authors have lost my trust that they can put a nice finish on a rambling tale. The rewards found in this book are given mostly through examples of writing issues to avoid.
P.S. Perhaps I’m being too picky here but what was with all the females in this book being these sad, dormant nothings just waiting for the return of their of adventuring man? How boring!
Then we come to Morning. When CJ came on the scene, suddenly it was like a parent coming into the room when you’re having great fun with your friend. The conversation stops. The parent starts telling the kids what to do. No fun.
I missed the narrative that followed Growly so closely and the way that Chippy and he struggled together and problem solved. It felt like we were exploring something together and discovering new things. Initially, the stories were always looking ahead with joy, excitement, and trepidation. Later, the narrative seems to buckle under the weight of “Home.” And we don’t even get our deserved pay-off at the end. Just a split second image of them arriving in Haven and seeing familiar faces—THE END. Pouts]
Here are things I wanted; just because I MUST get this off my chest:
- CJ and Merridy to hug
- Growly’s parents’ reaction to finding out he went over the precipice instead of his adventure near Haven
- Ember and Growly seeing each other
- The bears’ reactions to Chippy and Annily
- To find out even a little about this rising water situation
Writing all this down makes me realize that, throughout this particular book, many of the good parts of the story get left out. Growly and Meegwin have a long conversation by the fire and the authors just gloss over it, CJ gets found and it feels like a big nothing. I wanted details, reactions, thoughts. Instead, it was, GROWLY: You look sick. CJ: I am fine. GROWLY: Are you sure? CJ: We have to keep going. GROWLY: Okay, Let’s go. CJ: I can’t go on. Add in a sprinkle of horses or some monkeys and that’s that.
I was expecting so much more from this book. I will say, however, it was an excellent tool for talking about the passive voice vs. active, dealing with emotions, and critiquing a book. My son and I talked about things we liked and things we didn’t. We discussed where the story fell short. That, I believe, was actually worth reading this last book.
Ultimately, though, the authors have lost my trust that they can put a nice finish on a rambling tale. The rewards found in this book are given mostly through examples of writing issues to avoid.
P.S. Perhaps I’m being too picky here but what was with all the females in this book being these sad, dormant nothings just waiting for the return of their of adventuring man? How boring!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 5, 2019
All the things I loved about the other two books were present in this one as well: no scary villains, everyone practicing kindness and bravery, hope against all odds. Towards the end I wasn’t sure they would pull off a satisfying ending but they did.
This book had less blatant grammatical errors than the second one, but there were still a few and a whole lot of inconsistent punctuation. Still could have used another edit.
The one thing about this series that irritated me (other than the editing issues) was all the world building/mythology. Having completed the series, I saw so much time spent on that when it didn’t really go anywhere. I still had so many questions I thought they would answer but they didn’t. So for me all of that stuff about the humans and the explorers and the vacated human cities just felt like filler to make the story into three books. Where did these humans come from? Why did most of them leave suddenly? Where did they go? Why was one settlement of humans still there and seeming to be happy and well-supplied? I supposed some of it had relevance but they did spend a lot of time on it.
Still, though, we all really enjoyed these books.
This book had less blatant grammatical errors than the second one, but there were still a few and a whole lot of inconsistent punctuation. Still could have used another edit.
The one thing about this series that irritated me (other than the editing issues) was all the world building/mythology. Having completed the series, I saw so much time spent on that when it didn’t really go anywhere. I still had so many questions I thought they would answer but they didn’t. So for me all of that stuff about the humans and the explorers and the vacated human cities just felt like filler to make the story into three books. Where did these humans come from? Why did most of them leave suddenly? Where did they go? Why was one settlement of humans still there and seeming to be happy and well-supplied? I supposed some of it had relevance but they did spend a lot of time on it.
Still, though, we all really enjoyed these books.
September 19, 2019
We all loved this conclusion to the story of the adventurers we’ve become so fond of. I may have shed some tears in the final chapters.
March 9, 2021
We all loved it. But oh goodness, don't read aloud while pregnant. So much crying. 🤦🏻♀️ But it was excellent, my almost 6 year old loves this series.
May 4, 2021
Wonderful book. I love this series and this one is my favorite so far.
November 8, 2019
This is not what I would typically pick as a 4-star read, but for my kids, it was a 4-5 star read. It is a calm story--not crazy action-packed. We read a couple of chapters a night before bed and for my anxious 7- and 4-year-old, this was a great read. Nothing scary, but a few things that are a bit suspenseful. Nice story about friendship. Everything works out. The description and language is soothing. We've read all three books in the trilogy now and recommend it for kids who like calmer stories.
I will note, however, that the 2nd and 3rd books in the series have a lot of typos. We were reading it out loud and could correct the typos as we read, so it still made sense to the kids. But if your child is reading this on his/her own, it may be a bit frustrating.
We look forward to reading the companion novel, Haven.
I will note, however, that the 2nd and 3rd books in the series have a lot of typos. We were reading it out loud and could correct the typos as we read, so it still made sense to the kids. But if your child is reading this on his/her own, it may be a bit frustrating.
We look forward to reading the companion novel, Haven.
February 21, 2025
The excitement of the last few chapters almost makes up for the long, boring, repetitive chapters in the rest of the book. I think half of this series could have been cut out and it would have been a much better read. It felt like a money grab by the end, a very specific formula intended to make the story as long as possible. Each book was 35ish chapters, each chapter exactly 6 pages. I would have stopped half way through but my kids liked it way more that I did and asked me to keep going. We will read Haven, at the request of my kids, but then I intend to read something with more depth.
January 22, 2019
This is a book without a villian, where every creature is friendly and helpful. This being the third book in the series, it got to be a bit too sunny and cheerful to be interesting, however, the end few chapters pick up in intensity. The pace and the turmoil increased enough for it to be exciting again as the trio of main characters faced actual danger. My kids enjoyed the plot and pacing , and really cared about the characters and were genuinely sad for the end of the book.
June 5, 2021
Such a great book! I could go on and on about all the wonderful character traits that are highlighted in these books by the characters. Lets just say, it is so wholesome. Growly, Chippy, and CJ are all characters that I would be happy if my kids emulated. It's a wonderful, grand adventure with a beautiful hint of appropriate romance, and our kids absolutely loved this book! Our kids are 5 and 8 and we read it as a family read aloud.
November 1, 2017
The girls and I have been reading this series as a read-aloud. We have really enjoyed them. This series draws you into the the lives of the characters; it portrays friendship so beautifully and we loved them all. This book, I think, is my favorite because it got so exciting at the end. We could hardly put it down! We just ordered Haven and plan to start right away!
March 22, 2020
This book was engaging as a read aloud for my 9 year old. She liked it so much, she often wanted to read ahead in her spare time. We had a great discussion about how the characters kept a great attitude, even in hard times of travel. I hope there will be more books in this series. There were many questions left unanswered.
Read
January 9, 2020Reading the last chapters out loud, one per night, was so very hard - our entire family spent our days wondering what was going to happen to Growly! We couldn't take it any longer and had a late bedtime so we could finish up the last three chapters.
December 10, 2017
Sweet Ending!
Beautifully written! This series was my favorite read aloud. The words are wonderful to read and the characters are the best.
Beautifully written! This series was my favorite read aloud. The words are wonderful to read and the characters are the best.
June 13, 2019
Gahhh....these books are so sweet! Brought me to tears at the end.
July 23, 2019
(with Mabry)
February 12, 2021
Great conclusion to a great adventure. My son was jumping up and down on the couch in anticipation as I read.
Read
April 14, 2021Read aloud with Samuel (8)
June 6, 2021
What a wonderful ending to a sweet trilogy! This was a nice read aloud series for our young girls. There were a lot of tears at the end. A very sweet adventure!
February 11, 2023
Interesting story, fun characters, but personally the writing feels amateur to me. My girls loved it, but I was a little glad to be done with the series!
April 1, 2025
Read Aloud Adventures!
We read this book as a family read aloud and enjoyed it immensely! Bravo! We’re excited to read the next book in the series.
We read this book as a family read aloud and enjoyed it immensely! Bravo! We’re excited to read the next book in the series.
September 18, 2025
After 3 books, I really wanted a better conclusion. I am a little frustrated. 😆 That said, as a read aloud my kids loved it.
May 31, 2025
What a sweet story. Second favorite behind the first book.
“One wave at a time.”
Growlington the Brave
Update 8/8/23: my newest 8yo loved this story and I loved experiencing it with her. She cuddled close during the potentially scary and heartbreaking times and her joy was so real at the conclusion
3rd reading with my 7yo son. He loved this entire series and I am so thankful to read it with him
“One wave at a time.”
Growlington the Brave
Update 8/8/23: my newest 8yo loved this story and I loved experiencing it with her. She cuddled close during the potentially scary and heartbreaking times and her joy was so real at the conclusion
3rd reading with my 7yo son. He loved this entire series and I am so thankful to read it with him
December 31, 2016
The whole trilogy is just incredible. My daughter gets this longing look in her eyes and tells me she wishes she could go on an adventure like Growly. The descriptions are so vivid it's like you can see the story unfold. I hope they are working on the next instalment after that powerful ending!
May 13, 2015
Exciting and Confusing
It brought me to tears toward the end, but it was really exciting and I hope there's another book because the ending didn't make sense (Ben, age 9)
It brought me to tears toward the end, but it was really exciting and I hope there's another book because the ending didn't make sense (Ben, age 9)
Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews