Grumpy Monkey Freshly Squeezed: A Graphic Novel

Grumpy Monkey (Graphic Novels) #1

by Suzanne Lang, Max Lang (Illustrator)

This early graphic novel chapter book based on the #1 New York Times bestselling Grumpy Monkey is perfect for children who love the original picture books and are ready for the next step. Features hilarious dialogue, multiple panels per page, and a longer storyline to keep kids laughing all the way to the end!

It's Wednesday! Which means it's time for Jim Panzee's weekly Wednesday walk. He wakes up, stretches a little, grabs his stress orange, and sets off. Jim's favorite part of the walk is the blissful silence. When he's alone, he can hear all the jungle sounds. Until . . . his best buddy, Norman, decides to join him. And before he knows it, Jim is followed by every animal in the jungle. It's all just too much. Now Jim and his not-so-helpful friends are on a quest across the jungle to find another stress orange before it is too late!

A warm and funny chapter book graphic novel about how to handle all of life's ups and downs from the creators of the #1 New York Times bestselling Grumpy Monkey.

Genres: Graphic Novels, Childrens, Humor, Picture Books, Juvenile, Animals, Comics

88 pages, Hardcover

First published June 1, 2021

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author by this name in the Goodreads database.

Reviews

[Haze · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cute illustrations!
Fun and easy read! 😍

[Bookdisturbed · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ich liebe Jim Panse aber "Kein Stress, Jim" hat mir leider nicht so gut wie die anderen Bücher gefallen.

Die Geschichte war irgendwie nicht ganz so rund und es hat mir die richtige Prise Humor gefehlt.

[Chandra · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cute story. I feel his pain today! 🤣 Good way to teach you to not over look the trees trying to see the forest. 🤔 did I saw it right?

[Michelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hilarious!!! Page 47!!😂

[Brook · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really liked it.

[whatbooknext · Rating 4 out of 5]

It’s a wonderful clear sunny morning, and Monkey wants to go on his quiet Wednesday walk – alone.

Gorilla soon joins him, saying he’ll be quiet too. His promise is quickly broken. That’s okay thinks Monkey, squeezing his stress orange.

“Squeeze, squeeze, mind at ease,”

says Monkey to himself, trying to stay calm.

Again he is stopped, this time by Leslie the Giraffe. He joins in, and then so does a group of frogs, a porcupine, a warthog, and a turtle!

“Squeeze, squeeze, mind at ease,”

says Monkey to himself, trying to stay calm as his quiet Wednesday is completely hijacked by all the other animals. Then the unthinkable happens. His stress orange is no more! Trying to reclaim his morning walk, he must endure detours to swim, swing, and get swept up in a food fight. Will he ever get any peace?


This graphic novel is perfect for younger readers trying out graphic novels, as the colour pictures and text are clear and easy to follow. Monkey’s quiet morning walk is wrecked by his well meaning friends, and their efforts to put it right are hilarious.

The variety of animals are fun, from the long-legged giraffe to the very slow turtle, bringing even more laughs.

I’d definitely be keen to read more in this series. 3 more on their way for 2022!

Author – Suzanne Lang

Illustrator – Max Lang

Age – 6+

[Theediscerning · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was my first visit to Grumpy Monkey's world, and if the qualities of this quick and easy comic are sustained it shouldn't be my last. GM is just out for his Wednesday morning walk, but so many people want to join in he actually bursts his stress orange. But do you think he can get to where the oranges grow, either with or without the disparate gang that has formed around his mission? Papaya fights, floaters in the water-hole and more all enliven things, and infuriate Mr Grumpy. I can't be the only person to raise an eyebrow at the character deliberately sneezing snot and coronasniffles over our hero, but the rest is on point. And there's a recipe – hopefully not one to leave a floater, mind.

[Satrina T · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jim Panzee goes for his -usually lonely- Wednesday walk when Norman decides to join in and before you know it half the jungle joins them. Jim repeats his mantra while they go for a swim and to the swinging vines.

Like the oxpecker says, enjoying the way is half the fun.

As a person who enjoys doing things on my own, I really felt Jim's need to go by himself.

[Sheila · Rating 4 out of 5]

So funny, as usual. A lot of adult jokes, tho (like how the Oxpecker asked a Chimpanzee to skip the straw because it's bad for the environment? Classic) (or how an ant wants to be seen as an individual? such an identity crisis joke)

[Ro · Rating 5 out of 5]

Don't get on his bad side lol

[Eva Rock · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love the pictures and the drawings the reason why it’s a four is because I wish it was a longer graphic novel definitely wanna read the whole series

[Carla · Rating 3 out of 5]

Um livro muito engraçado para miúdos e graúdos.

[Jannik · Rating 5 out of 5]

Die Geschichten mit Jim und seinen Freunden sind sehr liebevoll und gut geschrieben. Kann ich nur empfehlen!

[Kasia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Znacie Szympansika? Tego kapryśnego, kochającego samotność, marudnego zwierzaka? My pierwsze książki o Szymoansiku czytaliśmy jakiś czas temu. Teraz dzięki wydawnictwu @papilon dostajemy do rąk komiks „Szym Pansik. Zostawcie mnie!”.

Małpka marzy o tym, by wybrać się na samotny spacer. Kluczowy słowem jest tu „samotny”. Ale jak wędrować w pojedynkę, kiedy w dżungli mieszka z nim tylu przyjsciół. I niestety nie da się po prostu ukryć przed ich oczami. Do Szym Pansika dołącaa goryl, a potem kolejne zwierzęta: żyrafa, bawól, żaby i inni. Robi się z tego prawdziwa wyprawa. Cel też jest: poszukiwanie antystresowej pomarańczy dla Szym Pansika, który poprzednią zgniótł za bardzo.

Dużo tu humoru, uwielbiam Szym Pansika i jego nastawienie do świata. Do szczęścia potrzebuje pobyć sam, ale przyjaciele też są ważna częścią jego życia. To opowieść o przyjaźni, o tym, że nie zostawia się przyjaciela na szlaku; o tym, że niespodziewanie można przeżyć wspaniałą przygodę, uczestniczyć we wspólnej wyprawie i poszukiwaniach.

Ukazanie przygód Szym Pansika w formie komiksu uważam za bardzo trafiony pomysł. Ta postać idealnie pasuje do klimatu komiksu: mówi mało, ale ma bogatą mimikę. Aby przekazać nastrój Szym Pansika nie trzeba wielu słów. Moja córka od razu zainteresowała się tym komiksem. Kreska Maxa Langa znana z wcześniejszych książek została wykorzystana również w komiksie, format zeszytowy sprawia, że bardzo wygodnie się ją czyta. Autorką tekstów jest Susanne Lang.

Zachęcam Was do sięgania po komiksy, bo to świetna forma rozrywki!

W serii o Szym Pansiku ukazały się książki:
„Szym Pansik ma zły humor”
„Szym Pansik ma własne zdanie”
„Szym Pansik nie śpi całą noc”
„Szym Pansik. O nie! Święta!”

Wiek czytelników: 4+
Liczba stron: 88

[Roben · Rating 4 out of 5]

Do you hate it when your routine is messed up by unforeseen events? Does that make you grumpy? Meet Jim - who has a similar problem. It's time for his Wednesday walk, all alone - just the way he likes it. He has his stress orange to help him stay calm. But soon his peaceful walk is interrupted as he is joined by first one friend and then another. He really needs that stress orange to help him stay calm! But - uh oh! His stress orange splatted! Now Jim needs to find a new stress orange and fast. Will he make it to the orange grove in time? Or will he learn a timely lesson about friendship and calmness?
The story and illustrations are delightful. I liked that Jim went out of his way to help the turtle - even if it meant slowing down his journey to the orange grove. Though I'm afraid the next Grumpy Moneky book may be about Jim and his friend getting sick after Oxpecker sneezed all over them. I also enjoyed learning the secret Ob language! What a fun activity that would be! Along with the frozen banana treats, of course. And all kids will love the party pooper in the pond section.
Additionaly, this book would be a great introduction to graphic novels for younger kids.
Thank you, Random House, for a digital ARC!

[Danielle Booey · Rating 5 out of 5]

My new favorite Grumpy Monkey book! Jim is the perfect loveable grump and his animal friends are obnoxiously hilarious as usual in this new adventure.

Jim just wants to set off on his Wednesday walk alone with only his stress orange for company, but when he is quickly joined by Norman, Leslie, and all of their other pals he starts to lose it. And then he squishes his stress orange!! And so our adventure begins as the friends set off for the orange grove to get a replacement stress orange for Jim.

[Angie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was able to read a free early electronic arc through Edelweiss and ... it's so fun!

It's an early graphic novel instead of the 32 page picture book format. But I just ... I just relate to Grumpy Monkey. Kids do as well.

Add a stress orange and an overload of social interaction? He is my new patronus.

Already told my sister one of my nephews is getting this for his birthday. And I will have to get at least one copy for school. I'll wish I could get 3 or 4, I'm sure.

[Jenna D. · Rating 5 out of 5]

A perfect early reader graphic novel for fans of Grumpy Monkey. Perfect, also, as a first outing with Jim Panzee! The artwork is top-notch, just like the picture books, with a slightly more “animated” feel within the panel format. The story is also top-notch, causing me to read portions aloud to my family. (Also, this will be a hit in my bookstore, seeing as we have a bookstore snake named Papaya.) I see a number of re-reads in the future for repeated enjoyment!

[Mairéad · Rating 4 out of 5]

An excellent introduction to graphic novels for less confident readers that is full of the humour that children love in the picture book series. Divided into chapters this tale of Jim's hunt for the perfect stress orange includes a sections offering interesting facts about primates and a private friendly dessert recipe! Original, funny and highly enjoyable to read, this is perfect for children aged 7+

[Anthony · Rating 3 out of 5]

Jim Panzee is out to enjoy his weekly Wednesday walk through the jungle, just him and his stress orange. But he is soon joined by all of his friends, and this doesn't lessen the stress for Jim. Travel along as Jim and his friends traverse through the jungle floor, and get into all types of escapades along the way.

[Nicola · Rating 4 out of 5]

Miss 7 read one of the Grumpy Monkey early readers and then read the graphic novel. She hopes there will be more!

Miss 7 and I like to explore different books and authors at the library, sometimes around particular topics or themes. We try to get different ones out every week or so; it's fun for both of us to have the variety and to look at a mix of new & favourite authors.

[Sidney · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good. Because the when the monkey squeezed its juice it went at him. The bird came and then they ate one of the oranges and then they had there was a tree and they had a papaya fight and then the bees came to get the papaya and then they had to go in the little pool and then Jim pooped but then he actually didn't it was a stick. I liked it was scratch and sniff book.

[Katie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cute storyline. Funny ending. I am wondering if kids would find the kind-of break/aside pages inbetween "chapters" mentally disruptive to the flow of the story or not. I did like the Pam Panzee's Primate Primer because it had information about apes vs. monkeys. vs. other primates that I hadn't fully realized before.

[Alison · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm giving it five stars because it's a very fun book and I love the Grumpy Monkey series but I need to get it off my chest that I'm unreasonably annoyed by the page where they refer to humans as primates but don't include them in the list of apes. This does not affect my scoring, I just need to share that this bothers me

[Laura Hook · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love this character and his friends in this early reader graphic novel format! The fun NF two page spread in between chapters can help kids learn facts as well. I really like the repeated phrase "squeeze, squeeze, mind at ease."

[Josie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Grumpy Monkey is spreading. He started out in picture books, now he is in early readers and graphic novels.

I loved this graphic novel. So Cute, and I can relate. Where is my stress orange? Squeeze, squeeze, mind at ease!

[Liz · Rating 4 out of 5]

Grumpy Monkey needs a need stress orange, and all the animals come along for the trip, proving the journey can better than the destination. Swinging vines, papaya fights, scary parrots--a fun time. I like seeing picture book characters getting the reader/first chapter treatment.

[Michelle Johnson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jim Panzee is at it again. All he wants is to take his morning walk and find some peace with his stress orange. Things get a little crazy when a bunch of his friends decide to join him, but in the end Jim learns that sometimes what we see as interruptions are actually beneficial.

[Ellon · Rating 5 out of 5]

5 stars (I loved it)

This is by far my favorite grumpy monkey book! I like how they even addressed that he is not, in fact, a monkey :)

Lots of fun in this book and great messages about friendship, working together, and the important of a stress orange ;)

[Kelly · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love the original Grumpy Monkey picture book, and when I saw there are now graphic novels, knew I had to read them with my 6 year old. It did not disappoint! He loved it. Perfect for kids around the 5-8 range.