The Grump: The Original Short Story

by Mark Ludy

Dogs bark, children scramble out of the way, and adults hurry to clear the streets of Dinkerwink for Mr. McCurry Brogan Howlweister, the crotchety old man who comes into town every Thursday to buy his weekly supplies. His constant scowl and legendary ill-temper have earned him the nickname “the Grump.” Dinkerwinkians big and small, young and old, and four-legged and feathered all try to avoid him as much as possible. That is, all Dinkerwinkians except little Lydia. Although Lydia cannot hear or speak, her powers of observation and the compassion she has for others are obvious. She has never heard anyone call Mr. McCurry Brogan Howlweister “the Grump” and simply sees him as the man with the upside-down smile, a man who needs a friend to help turn it right-side up. This story of compassion and love in action will delight children and families with its richly detailed illustrations and eccentric characters.

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens

32 pages, Hardcover

First published September 1, 2000

About the author

Mark Ludy is an author, illustrator, and speaker. His first book, The Farmer, was a finalist for the children's book of the year and is a Recommended Read for Scholastic's Reading Counts Program. He lives in Windsor, Colorado.

Reviews

[Kim · Rating 5 out of 5]

Best children's book of all time. I love this book. IT IS SO DARLING! Read it and be happy!

[Linda · Rating 5 out of 5]

People who live in the town of Dinkerwink know exactly what to do every day of the week, and one of those days brings them to the usual visit of Mr. McCurry Brogan Howlweister, a grumpy old curmudgeon, never smiling, ensuring he's left along by both his face, his voice, and his cane. No matter this description, Mark Rudy, who both tells this tale and illustrates it, it becomes a story of those who do good things no matter other displeasures. And, those good deeds make changes you will love. What a grand read-aloud this will be. It's an older book, but hope it's still available in libraries.

[Jessie Otto · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very sweet story

[Barbara Lovejoy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have become a Mark Ludy fan! Love this book. --the story, the message, and of course, the illustrations!

[Alondra Munoz · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely love Mark Ludy's books he is a great author! I really like this book because it teaches a great lesson about not being so judgmental towards others. This is about an old man who always seems to be very grumpy and nothing makes him happy; his entire town is scared of him and no one cares to be his friend; until one little girl who is deaf and can’t see changes his entire perspective on life. In this book there is a little mouse on every page and I always liked trying to look for the mouse so when the teacher read this book to the classroom everyone would want to sit up front. The books also have great illustration!

[Abby Willaims · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a very sweet book with a interesting story about how a little girl changed the heart of a grumpy old man. This book could be read to young students and maybe have different small projects or activities relating to the book. However, this book is on a higher reading level and may need to be read individually by fourth or fifth grade students.

[Libby · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great illustrations! This book had a great story/message, but for a child...they're going to get bored fast because there is a lot of writing on each page. I even got bored and had to bookmark it and come back later.

[Jeniann · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have loved every picture book of Mark Ludy's that I have seen, and I love this one, too. This is a great little story with a wonderful message to it.

[Michelle Odenbaugh · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a great book for children; however, there were tons of words so it lost their attention sometimes. Other than that the story was great and it had awesome illustrations!