Sometimes I Grumblesquinch - (A Big Feelings Book) by Rachel Vail (Hardcover)

About the Book

"Exploring the key social emotional skills needed to navigate complicated feelings, this sweet and touching story follows Katie Honors, a nice kid who isn't able to hold in her feelings about her brother, as she learns an important lesson"--

Book Synopsis

A sweet and touching exploration of the scariness of BIG feelings and overcoming the pressures to do everything "just right," in this companion title to bestselling picture book Sometimes I'm Bombaloo.

Katie Honors is a really nice kid. But there's one little secret that sometimes makes her feel not-so-nice deep inside: her little brother, Chuck. Katie loves her brother and works hard to be the perfect big sister but it can be hard. Chuck can sometimes be just so icky and messy. Sometimes it makes Katie secretly wish she had a trampoline or a treehouse or a giraffe instead of a brother. When all these emotions bubble up to the surface, Katie can no longer grumblesquinch them down. She explodes, but she also learns an important lesson: that there's room for ALL of her feelings, even the scary ones.

Sometimes I Grumblesquinch masterfully explores the pressure children often feel to be perfect all the time and helps them realize that it's okay to share frustrating, and at times, not-so-nice thoughts and seek comfort from adults to help them manage those feelings. This story explores key social emotional skills that kids need to navigate complicated feelings, and will live alongside bestsellers like When Sophie Gets Really Really Angry and How Do Dinosaurs Say I'm Mad. Once again, Rachel Vail taps into universal childhood experiences that are often left unexplored, and does so with sensitivity, humor, and respect for the wide range of emotions kids face today.

Review Quotes

Praise for Sometimes I Kaploom:

* "Vail and Yum have here created a helpful book for parents and children dealing with separation anxiety." -- Booklist, starred review

Praise for Sometimes I Grumblesquinch:

* "Sensitive and emotionally true, a comforting portrayal of big emotions." -- Kirkus Reviews, starred review

Praise for Sometimes I'm Bombaloo:

"Emotions bubble over in this wise picture book about how a child deals with anger. Heo's (Father's Rubber Shoes) highly patterned rnixed-media illustrations, alternately warm and perky, use vibrant backgrounds, blocks of color, and carefully chosen images to depict Katie's emotional tornado." -- Publishers Weekly

* "A keen-eyed view on the evolution and eruption of a child's tantrum and its aftermath... An honest and understanding appraisal of tantrums from the child's perspective." -- Kirkus Reviews, starred review

* "Vail gets right inside a kid's psyche, and Heo's inventive artwork catches the kaleidoscope of emotions found there in a book that is both realistic and funny. Kudos to Vail and Heo for making a scary subject manageable." -- Booklist, starred review

"Anger is the subject of this wonderfully illustrated and beautifully designed picture book. The subject and age of the character in this title bear a very close resemblance to those in Molly Bang's When Sophie Gets Angry -- Really, Really Angry (Scholastic, 1999), yet they are different enough in voice and mode of resolution that most collections will want both." -- School Library Journal

About the Author

Rachel Vail is the award-winning author of more than 40 beloved books. Her picture books include Sometimes I'm Bombaloo and Sometimes I Kaploom, a Kirkus Reviews Best Picture Book of the Year. Her most recent novels for young people are Bad Best Friend; Well, That Was Awkward; and the A is For Elizabeth series, all Junior Library Guild Gold selections. Rachel lives in New York City with her husband, their two sons, and a tortoise named Lightning. Visit rachelvail.com.

HYEWON YUM is the author and illustrator of many acclaimed books for children, including Not Little, written by Maya Myers. Her book Mom, It's My First Day of Kindergarten! received the Ezra Jack Keats New Illustrator Award. She lives in Brooklyn, New York, with her family.