PAVLO GETS THE GRUMPS
By: Natalia Shaloshvili
Published: September 24, 2024
Publisher: Candlewick Press
Fiction
Pavlo the cat woke up on the wrong side of the bed. At breakfast, his mama tries to cheer him up by suggesting they go to the park. When that doesn’t work, she suggests they go swimming or to the movies. But nothing seems to be cheering Pavlo up.
All the things that are fun are what Pavlo wants to complain about. The swings are too swingy or the sandbox is too sandy. A movie means he will have to sit for a long time and his bottom is wriggly. Then Mama has the best suggestion.
“The best thing to do with the grumps,” says Mama, “is to go out anyway.”
Once they get outside, Mila (ironically a mouse), Pavlo’s friend, calls to say she has been looking for him. Pavlo complains that he has the grumps, and Mila hugs him. Mila takes over and the two have the best day doing all the things that Pavlo didn’t want to do earlier.
Kids will identify with Pavlo (parents too) because we all have days where we just want to feel grumpy and nothing seems to work to cheer us up except our loved ones. From a big hug to a simple smile to playing some music and dancing in the kitchen, sometimes it just takes a change of scenery or in Pavlo’s case, a friend who is happy to see him.
This is Natalia’s debut children’s book after illustrating her first children’s book THE THREE LITTLE MITTENS. She hopes that this story reminds kids that their feelings are valid and that their friends and family will always be there to turn their frown upside down.
Natalia Shaloshvili is an artist and children’s book author and illustrator whose work includes The Three Little Mittens by Linda Bailey. Her art can be found in exhibitions and private collections around the world. Originally from Ukraine, Natalia Shaloshvili now lives in the UK with her family.
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Posted Under Book Review, Children's books, emotions, fiction, Natalia Shaloshvili