The Unbudgeable Curmudgeon by Matthew Burgess, Fiona Woodcock
Published by Alfred A. Knopf Books for Young Readers on March 12th 2019
ISBN: 0399556621
Pages: 32
Goodreads

Who doesn’t love a monster wearing a headband? That’s what greets the reader in this slightly funny, oh-so-relatable picture book. Any listener/reader who has been in a situation with a hard-to-budge sibling, or who has BEEN unbudgeable him or herself, will identify with this story. Fiona Woodcock’s palette of muted primary colors grabs the reader from the front cover and, in a succinct 24 pages, Burgess expresses the childhood phenomena of transitioning from happy to ragingly angry back to content again. With many  soft ‘g’ words, Burgess captures the struggle of a sister trying to get her backpack from an obstinate “monster,” her brother. Offering many suggestions for shaking a curmudgeonly mood, this picture book would make a great read aloud on cooperation and dealing with emotional reactions and size of the problem discussions. This book will circulate on cover design alone, but should foster some nice conversations about dealing with problems.

Reviewed by Jill O’Connor, Merrill Memorial Library, Yarmouth