How to be a Grouch

by Caroll Spinney

A guide to being grouchy, written and illustrated by the world's greatest grouch-- Sesame Street' s Oscar!

So you want to be a grouch? Oscar, Sesame Street' s resident grouch, is here to tell you how, in this hysterical hardcover book written and illustrated by Caroll Spinney--the puppeteer who brought Oscar to grouchy life for almost 50 years. This one-of-a-kind book offers laugh-out-loud, hilariously illustrated advice on how to live grouchily all day, every day, from morning (set your alarm clock to go off too early, and make sure it's LOUD!) till night (relax by playing broken records!). It's the perfect gift for grouches and Sesame Street fans of ALL AGES!

Sesame Workshop, the nonprofit educational organization behind Sesame Street , aims to help kids grow smarter, stronger, and kinder through its many unique domestic and international initiatives. These projects cover a wide array of topics, which address specific needs, such as girls' education, financial empowerment, and autism. Sesame Street is celebrating its 50th anniversary in 2019--a yearlong celebration that highlights 50 years of distributing quality educational content to families around the world. Sesame Street is the most trusted name in early learning.

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens, Humor, Epic

28 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1976

About the author

Caroll Spinney has performed as Big Bird and Oscar on Sesame Street since the show's inception in 1969. Prior to that, he performed as many characters on Bozo's Big Top in Boston for ten years, had a career in art and animation, and served in the Air Force. He has traveled the world as Big Bird, won Grammys and Emmys, and been named a Living Legend by the Library of Congress. He lives in New England with his wife, Debra. They have three children and three grandchildren.

Reviews

[Chance Lee · Rating 5 out of 5]

Literally the story of my mood swings. "Getting new trash makes me happy, but I don't like being happy! Being happy makes me miserable, and I love being miserable! So that makes me happy -- which makes me miserable!"

[Rod Brown · Rating 3 out of 5]

I picked this up purely to indulge in the nostalgia of hanging out with a classic Sesame Street character. He's no Cookie Monster, but I can frequently relate to Oscar's grouchiness, especially as I get older.

[Robert Sutherland · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've read dozens of motivational and self help books but seldom does anyone approach the depth and truth of life like Oscar the Grouch.

[Carla Sofia Sofia · Rating 5 out of 5]

I laughed. I cried. I found myself. I feel so seen. :,)

[Tracy Poff · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ever wondered how to be a grouch, like Oscar from Sesame Street? Well, with the help of How to be a Grouch by Caroll Spinney, you can learn from the best--Oscar himself!

How to be a Grouch is a guide to everything the prospective grouch needs to know: what to eat; where to go on vacation; how to start your day so you can be grouchy right from the get-go; and plenty of other useful information, like grouchy modes of transportation and how to recognize different kinds of grouches.

The illustrations in How to be a Grouch are hilarious and excellent, and the book is full of funny grouchy things, like the Grouch Trashplane or the suggested foods, like hot beef stew with chocolate gravy in a melon--quite a (disgusting) mouthful!

How to be a Grouch is a wonderful book not just for fans of Sesame Street, but for anyone who'd like a funny and beautifully illustrated children's picture book.

This review also appears on my blog.

[HeavyReader · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was one of my favorite books as a little kid, and in fact, I still have my copy of it. (The pages are falling out. It's held together by two rusty staples. I didn't try to staple the book; that's how it was bound.)

The grossest page is "What Grouches Eat." Here goes: "a pickle split, chunky fish ice cream, hot beef stew with chocolate gravy in a melon, hot dog with spaghetti and oranges." You don't even need to see the pictures to get grossed out by that. Chunky fish ice cream. Bleck!

I love how this book allows kids to revel in their grouchiness.

[Z · Rating 5 out of 5]

Classic from Sesame Street.

I remember reading this over and over as a child. It is particularly special to me because I had a tendency to be grumpy when I was a child, so I was likened to Oscar quite often by family. I still have my copy, very beat up, but intact. Re-reading it now I notice that it still makes me LAUGH a lot...full of great ideas on how to be a GROUCH!

[Amanda · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think this is fine if you're a fan of Oscar the Grouch. There is a lot of grouching around in this book and toward the end the word Grouch didn't even look real to me. I didn't really care for the book. Oz didn't either, but he did good ask good questions. I'll say that Spinney definitely got his character, but there was something weird about the tone.

[Crystal]

My 2 favorite characters were Oscar and Snuffy (although I did have a pair of Bert & Ernie houseshoes too). I loved Oscar, and I loved this book.

[Amy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a funny book. What is neat that it is really written by Oscar himself--by Spinney, his puppeteer! And it is a good book!

[Vonda · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was one of my favorites as a child and I just found a copy (in good condition) at a local thrift store for $0.50. Yippie!

[Edward Sojuwa · Rating 5 out of 5]

The late Carroll Spinney is a legend in PBS' educational TV world. He is the one person who played the same people on TV for exactly five decades until his death last Christmas. And yes, when you're a die-hard fan of Sesame Street, you consider his Big Bird and Oscar the grouch as people, despite their being Muppets. His love for children, his passion to give to his audience, has stood the test of time, and he even wrote some kids books for the Sesame Street kid audience. Possibly it was under pressure from the Children's Television Workshop to crank out little books in the voices of his characters, but I prefer to think he did it because it felt right in his heart. This one shows us Oscar in all his Grouchy Glory, showing us fans his life in a trash can, and his, um, unique perspective. He's the reality based counterweight to the overbearing sappiness of the show's scripts, and in Spinney's writing (he even drew the illustrations himself!) that counterweight is used to the full. His take on celebrating the harsh reality of this world, as opposed to shying from it, is pretty awe inspiring. The drawings even show Oscar, full body, outside the can, kinda like a green fuzzy version of Dennis Franz from NYPD Blue....no, LESS green and fuzzy than Dennis Franz, and yes folks it's that possible! Is it safe to say, in a world of shiny happy people, we need Oscar more than ever to celebrate the end of the world as we know it, and he's feeling fine!
Five huge Grouchy Stars!
Oscar is hardcore awesomeness at it's best!

[Jessica Atwater · Rating 5 out of 5]

All my kids give this five. Written by Carroll Spinney, Oscar the Grouch himself, this is a delightful celebration of the things that make us grouchy, just like the character of Oscar himself. Check out Oscar's family portrait for the picture of "Cousin Smiling George. Oh, well, we can't all be perfect!"

[Andrés · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was an extra deep dive into Oscar the Grouch for super fans. It's a little long for very young readers, but extremely indulgent for those who want to know a lot more about Oscar and find some of the grouchy stuff funny. Pages are set up like cartoon books and have a lot to inspect. The intro to Spinney--with photo--on the last page is neat.

[Megan Taulbee · Rating 5 out of 5]

I liked this book because it used almost sarcasm to explain to kids to not be a grouch. It had a lot of different pictures on each page. I also think kids would like it because it has a character that they would recognize from TV.

[Cheryl · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have a long way to go before I'm this grouchy. But anyway, I think my problem is that I already know how to be a grouch, and try not to be... I just don't appreciate this little book the way so many other reviewers have done.

[Katie · Rating 5 out of 5]

A hilarious and sarcastic treasure, with so much detail it is great for almost infinite re-reads.

'Roll out your dough. I use an old hubcap. Fill it with things you hate to eat. Don't cook it. Serve it to your friends- WHAT FRIENDS?'

[Aethena Drake · Rating 5 out of 5]

Living in a Prime Numbered Year survival book number twelve: How to Be a Grouch by Caroll E Spinney.

This is one of the single best books in the history of mankind. My entire life philosophy is structured around How to Be a Grouch and one other book.

Oscar is a dynamic and complex character. His story reveals the challenges of living in an overly optimistic world. Yuck! Go put some rocks in your bed, tell everyone to scram, and find a copy of this book!

[Carol Krueger · Rating 5 out of 5]

hehe

[Ian · Rating 5 out of 5]

The text is hilarious, the illustrations are hilarious, and the coloring is absolutely beautiful. I wish I could color like that!

[kim · Rating 3 out of 5]

i could have written this, lol. I like that the actual voice/puppeteer wrote and illustrated it

[Lesley · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm a good grouch

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved the illustrations and the grouchy-ness. This will appeal to those who like the format of graphic novels.

[Pinky · Rating 3 out of 5]

Learn how to be a grouch from a real grouch.

[Melissa Entzminger · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this one!

[Kristen · Rating 5 out of 5]

A cute and silly book! My son loved this book!

[Digitz · Rating 4 out of 5]

I went to a Harvest Fest with the family and they were giving books away. I snagged this for me because #nostalgia. It was fun getting advice from Oscar 😆

[Mari]

I like how it was written by Oscar - Caroll Spinney

[Andrea · Rating 5 out of 5]

How To Be a Grouch by Caroll Spinney was just the best of reads. It's Oscar the Grouch explaining all the skills required to be the best kind of grouch. It was just such fun as it was all the best humor of Oscar that I have come to know and love over the years. I first read this to my three year old nephew, but y'all, as a lifelong fan of Sesame Street (and Oscar, obvs), I also really adored it. It also has fantastic illustrations that add to the appeal. Sometimes you just need a book like this to make you smile (or frown given it's about that grouch life), and this is so much of that.

[AGV K · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pocket Size Edition