Grumpy Bird: Jeremy Tankard

Today's recommend is Grumpy Bird by Jeremy Tankard. When Bird wakes, he's just grumpy. Too grumpy to do much of anything but walk. As he does, he passes others who join him on his stroll. With friends at his side, it isn't long before Bird is able to lose his grumps.

Tankard's thick bold black outlines along with photo collage and abstract shapes invite a fast read as well as a slow one. One can quickly read the action, but there's also an opportunity to linger with so much to see in each spread. This work, along with its truth, should have wide appeal. Note: a hardcover was released in 2007.

Grumpy Bird
by Jeremy Tankard
Scholastic Press, 2016

Me Hungry! Jeremy Tankard

The second I saw Me Hungry by Jeremy Tankard, I loved it! What a great decision to place this work into a board book format. Why not bring the Stone Age to first readers? It's fresh and fun and accessible to the smallest totz.

When the child is hungry, and everyone is too busy to help him, he sets off to fend for himself. However, the rabbit hides, the porcupine is too sharp, and the tiger is too mean. Thankfully, there's the woolly mammoth who just happens to be hungry as well! With a little help, the boy solves his own problem.

The palette is very appealing with gentle changes from spread to spread to mark the introduction of different characters. Random splatters create texture along with thick brush and thin pen lines.

School Library Journal is spot on to say, "A totally fresh, timeless gem."

Absolutely pick up Me Hungry! for your totz!

Me Hungry!
by Jeremy Tankard
Candlewick Press, February 2010