Cover Image: Grumpius

Grumpius

Pub Date:   |   Archive Date:

Member Reviews

A beautiful story that my group of 5-7 yr old readers loved. They understoof that Grumpius just wanted to be loved and petted by his favorite person. We talked about how they would tell someone to spend time with them and each was suitably impressed with the cat's methods. What an easy way to communicate.

Was this review helpful?

Grumpius is a kitty who only likes his owner. However, when his owner is distracted and he feels like he's been forgotten, he decides to run away. There is a happy ending where the owner is able to show Grumpius he is loved and he returns home. This immediately made me go and hug my cats and tell them they were loved, just in case I haven't told them lately. A good reminder to remember to show love and attention every day to the people (and animals) you care about.

Note: I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley. I was not compensated in any other fashion for the review and the opinions reflected below are entirely my own. Special thanks to the publisher and author for providing the copy.

Was this review helpful?

This book is sweet and special in all the best ways. I loved reading about Grumpius and his special bond with his owner.

Was this review helpful?

Princess Fuzzypants here: I enjoy reading and reviewing children’s books from time to time and I am especially fond of those that feature kitties, for obvious reasons. And those that feature red kitties are even better.

But I love this book for more reasons than that. First of all, it is a sweet and charming story about a grumpy kitty, named Grumpius, who adopts a human and finds a wonderful companion. Life is good for him until, his human seems to forget about him. He becomes sad and despondent and she is so busy doing other things she does not realize for a long time. He is crushed and he leaves home.

But when she is gone, she is frantic to find her friend. Grumpius, who never had reason to do so, is purring at the end of the story. It makes you feel sorry for poor Grumpius but he does forgive his human. She is, after all, merely human.

The illustrations are adorable and you will fall in love with Grumpius. I know I did. Five purrs and two paws up.

Was this review helpful?

Grumpius is the story of a grumpy orange cat who adopts his human, and though he doesn’t seem to, he loves her very much. He wanders into her life and becomes her companion, spending his time on a footstool in the kitchen or under the lilac bush while she gardens.

When her garden blooms his human becomes very busy and for several days forgets to call him home, until eventually he stays away. One day she realizes Grumpius is not there and waits for him in the rain, calling for him. Grumpius comes back and she apologizes for neglecting their time together. She then makes a point of protecting their special time, which makes Grumpius very happy.

The artwork places special emphasis on Grumpius, making him the only full-color image in any of the pages, the rest have a pen-and-ink style that lends itself to a lot of detail and gentle washes of color. This style of drawing is perfect for Grumpius as it conveys his beefy frame and straggly-furred self perfectly, as well as the detail in the garden. It is a somewhat more old-fashioned style of artwork, so if you are looking for vibrant imagery this may not be your cup of tea.

This is a story that will definitely pull at your heart strings, especially if you have ever been the companion of a somewhat grumpy cat. If you are looking for a sweet story about the importance of making time for your friends, then this will become a beloved bedtime story.

Was this review helpful?

Grumpius is a picturebook written by Jennifer Gold and illustrated by Jessica Gadra. It is currently scheduled for release on August 15 2021. Grumpius doesn't like anyone--except Winnie Brown. Winnie has a very beautiful garden that many people want to visit. Winnie and Grumpius are a perfect pair, but when Winnie becomes busy and distracted by visitors, she forgets all about Grumpius. Winnie doesn't notice until it's too late, and Grumpius has gone. Distraught, Winnie calls for her grumpy orange cat, who returns home when Winnie makes a compromise about her time spent with Grumpius.

Grumpius is a story that can be enjoyed on many levels. On one hand it is a simple story about a woman that is adopted by a stray cat and makes mistakes on the way of finding a happy balance with him and her activities. It can also be enjoyed as a story of compromise and balance, or of time management, and of giving your pet (or friends, family, etc) the amount of care they need to thrive. I thought the story was well told in all aspects, with text and illustrations that complimented each other and lends itself to both shared storytime and reading independently.

Was this review helpful?

Free ARC from NetGalley.

Grumpious doesn't love anyone - except Winnie Brown. She feeds him and plays with him. But one day she forgets about taking care of him. So he goes away. But life isn't easy on his own, and she misses him.

A cute story about friendship and caring for each other. But it's really sad for a while, poor Grumpious! It does have a happy ending and they realize their errors and fixes them!

Beautiful illustrations make the story come alive!

#Grumpius #NetGalley

Was this review helpful?

It takes someone special to look over your grumpiness. Grumpius the cat has found that special person in Winnie. Their story of friendship is one of those stories right before bed that will bring calm and reflection. The illustrations go along with the story well. A favorite in the making.

A special thank you to Windmill Books and Netgalley for the ARC and the opportunity to post an honest review

Was this review helpful?

I liked the illustrations in this book, they are simple and uncomplicated which fits with Grumpius!

Grumpius is a stray cat who gets to have a second change when he is taken in by a kind hearted lady.

The lady has a passion for her garden and sadly the visitors that she has coming mean that without really realising she is not paying Grumpius as much attention as she should, he doesn’t like the strangers invading the garden and he disappears – and it takes a while for her to notice.

It has a positive ending but it one to make younger children thing too as pets are for all year and should be with you for life and in their forever homes. They need to have care and attention at all times.

It is 3.5 stars from me for this one, rounded up to 4 stars for Goodreads and Amazon

Was this review helpful?

A quirky book about a lady and her grumpy cat. Made me a little worried that the lady was neglecting the cat! Glad to know the ending of the story is more positive :)

Was this review helpful?

Unfortunately this one missed the mark for me. While the moral seemed to be "compromise" and prioritizing friends, it felt very one-sided. It seems implausible that an excess of visitors to a garden would make someone entirely forget about their cat for a week. Also, although he is a cat, if Winnie is going to rearrange her life to accommodate their time together, maybe Grumpius could have been a bit more understanding and tried to support her when she was obviously tired and stretched too thin? It almost felt as if Winnie, like so many women, was being punished for achieving something at the expense of meeting someone else's needs. The messages are a bit too confusing and potentially problematic for me to bring into my class.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review.

Was this review helpful?

A big thank you to NetGalley and Windmill Books for the ARC. I am voluntarily reviewing this book. This is a childrens book. Grumpius is a cat-and guess what, he is grumpy. This whimsical story made me happy. The graphics were fun and the story is cute. In the end Winnie makes Grumpius purr which makes us all smile. 4 stars

Was this review helpful?

This book features Grumpius, a very grumpy cat who does not like people or affection at all. I started out really liking the story and illustrations, until I realised that it portrays pet neglect. This is something I feel very strongly against even though I appreciate the message the book is trying to send. It's a cute read about compromise that children will enjoy, but it's not for me.

Was this review helpful?

First of all I will try to give an objective review here, but this book was so cute I can't even..... am 32 and I would buy this just for myself.

The story is pretty straightforward, eccentric cat meets his eccentric person and it is a match made in heaven. Life is happy but always busy, then it gets way too busy. It shows how important it is to have time for the ones you love. It gives a lesson about how to find a balance and compromise between what you and the people you share your life with want.

The artwork was beyond beautiful and added to the story so much. The color palette, the style, the expressions all enhanced the atmosphere the story portrayed.

I received an e-arc via netgalley in exchange for an honest review. I will definitely keep my eyes open for when this book will be published.

Was this review helpful?

This is such a beautifully illustrated story about a woman who finds a stray cat and they become fast friends. That is until the woman's garden visitors threaten their relationship. I highly recommend this picture book to kids of all ages. I loved it! Thanks to #netgalley for an advanced reader copy!

Was this review helpful?

Grumpius is a grumpy cat, but never more so than when he thinks that his human mistress is ignoring him for the sake of her garden and the people who like to come and look round. To prove his point he walks out – but could the two get reunited and find a decent way to share their time together? A large modern font might be said to clash with the pleasantly old-school illustrations (which have a good running joke of always managing to never show the human's face) but it's not like there is a serious fault here. A strong four stars.

Was this review helpful?

This is such a classic animal storybook.

I absolutely adore the illustrations. It's so calming and mesmerizing.

I love the readaloud kind of poetic story.

Such a good feel read about a cat and the woman who takes him in.

Get this one without any second thoughts.

Thank you, author and the publisher, for the advance reading copy.

Was this review helpful?