About the Author

Victoria Allenby has been writing poetry and stories for as long as she can remember. Her debut picture book, Nat the Cat Can Sleep Like That, won the 2014 Preschool Reads Award and was nominated for the 2015 SYRCA Shining Willow Award. Timo's Garden was a New York Public Library Best Books for Kids & Teens selection. A freelance writer and editor, Victoria lives in Toronto, Ontario. Manon Gauthier is a graphic artist who made the leap to picture book illustration in 2006. After her first book was shortlisted for the Governor General's Award for Children's Literature, she dedicated herself entirely to illustration, and to giving presentations and art workshops in schools across Quebec. A flexible artist, Manon works in many media, including gouache, pencils, and paper collage. She lives in Montreal.

Reviews

This book is a delightful invitation to celebrate waking-up routines. The gentle rhyming text is engaging without being too wordy, and there is opportunity for the reader to create their own short melody to sing the mother's songs as a way to personalize the story. Manon Gauthier's illustrations are very unique and appear to be photographs of hand-done drawings on paper cut out and pasted in a paper collage. This is a unique and endearing title that will be a toddler favourite, especially for the 'Grumples'!... My 3-year old was fascinated with the illustrations in this book and with the creature being called 'Grumple'. It took her two readings to connect 'grumple' to grumpy and she was thrilled with herself for making the connection. She helped me make up a tune to put the mother's songs to music, which was fun for us both. The 23-month old twins have enjoyed listening to this, too, and have excitedly pointed at the engaging illustrations - they have evoked a reaction for sure! They noticed the point in the story when Grumple's frown turned into a smile and enjoy hearing the short songs that their sister and I set to our own tune(s). My kids most often wake up happy, but on the rare days when they don't, I've coaxed smiles from them each time I've read them this title!... Raising Mom Gauthier's mixed-media and paper collage illustrations are quiet in tone, emphasizing that this is one fox who just wants to sleep. Tinges of taupe, cream, brown, and heather gray are shaded across the pages. The small size, soft padded cover, and sturdy card stock pages make this suitable for lap sharing. VERDICT Consider for medium to large picture book collections that serve a heavy toddler and preschool population. School Library Journal This padded storybook with sturdy cardstock pages follows a mother's persistent efforts to get her sleepy 'grumple' out of bed in the morning. Allenby's intermittently rhyming text traces the mother's escalating actions, which involve singing ever-louder...Gauthier's naif collages sweetly emphasize the warmth between parent and child (they resemble a cross between a panda and a squirrel), even when the little one's eyes are squeezed tight in a desperate attempt to hang onto sleep a little longer. Publishers Weekly This book is a wonderful invitation to celebrate morning and waking up routines...Manon Gauthier's illustrations are very unique and appear to be photographs of drawings on paper cut out and assembled/pasted in a collage-like style. They are reminiscent of the art of childhood, without being too childish. Children will relate to them as to something they could have created and in fact, this style would be a great one to have children try as an extension to the book. This is a unique and endearing title that will be a toddler favourite, especially for the "Grumples"! Resource Links Allenby's lilting lines encourage singing progressively louder, tickling toes, and kissing foreheads to get little grumples out of bed, but it's the music that's the most affirming and powerful method for urging kiddos out from under their covers and off to enjoy the great outdoors and play with friends. Gauthier's naive-style collage illustrations, rendered in rough-cut shapes covered in thick paint and freewheeling scribbles, nicely complement Allenby's bouncy rhymes... Booklist Online In Good Morning, Grumple, a mother fox, who has obviously endured many a morning struggling to get a grumpy young one in rumpled bed clothes out of bed, attempts the near impossible feat with an established process of rhyming song and accompanying actions...Victoria Allenby has proven that she can write light and refreshing books for pre-readers and early readers...Manon Gauthier lends her trademark cut paper collage to Good Morning, Grumple, establishing evocative scenes with her artistry. Colour is limited but effective, with the neutrality of a grumple atmosphere evident throughout...Collage art has never been so expressive and atmospheric. Enjoy the smaller and inviting format of Good Morning, Grumple with Pajama Press' unique padded cover, rounded corners and heavy-duty paper that make it a pleasure to hold... CanLit for LittleCanadians Good Morning, Grumple is a sweet spin on what can be a stressful morning routine that is sure to please both pre-school kids and their parents. Montreal Review of Books Simply stated, Good Morning, Grumple is unreservedly and enthusiastically recommended for family, preschool, and community library collections. Midwest Book Review Victoria Allenby's sweet, lyrical text is rhythmic and loving, and it includes plenty of opportunities for interaction between toddlers and their caregivers...Manon Gauthier's collage mixed media illustrations are utterly charming...Good Morning, Grumple is perfectly designed for the littlest of readers, with a soft, padded cover, rounded edges and thick, sturdy pages that will stand up to repeated readings with enthusiastic toddlers. CM Magazine Author Victoria Allenby...succeeds once again in crafting a charming tale befitting the kindie set...[Manon Gauthier's] mixed media and paper-collage illustrations...convey great depths of emotion. Quill & Quire