Grumble Boats [Hardcover]

What happens when you’re feeling upset? Grandma shows Emma how to say goodbye to being grumpy in this sweet and sensitive social emotional picture book.

A must-read for preschoolers and kindergarteners who are often caught up in their feels.

Emma is spending the afternoon with her grandmother, but she’s very grumbly. That’s because she didn’t get to go to the pirate party with her brother and now she feels left out.

Grandma shows Emma how to draw your grumbles. Then how to take your grumble drawing and fold it into a boat. They take their boats out to the water and say goodbye to their grumbles forever.

Once they let go of their grumbly feelings, a different type of grumble makes them realize something: it's time for lunch! A gentle and loving social-emotional learning story for little ones learning to navigate their feelings.In this Australian import, a grandmother shows a little girl how to let go of her grumpy attitude.
Emma’s brother is attending a pirate party, but Emma is too young to go with him. Instead, her parents drop her off at Grandma’s house. With her arms tightly crossed and her mouth set in a frown, Emma makes her feelings abundantly clear. Grandma takes Emma and Bella the dog to the beach. Pulling out paper and pens, Grandma says, “We’re going to draw our grumbles.” As she sketches zigzag lines and pointy corners, Grandma explains that she’s expressing her irritation about breaking her favorite teacup this morning. Emma is initially reluctant but then scribbles her frustrations onto the paper. With the tide rolling in, Grandma helps Emma fold the papers into boats. They both run to the water’s edge and toss their “grumble boats” in, waving their grumbles goodbye. Soft, smudgy watercolor-and-pen illustrations imbue the nlS¸