Sarah Mcintyre is already cemented in my children’s book affections thanks to Jampires her collaboration with David O’Connell.
Grumpycorn was therefore a must-have when given free choice in a local bookshop and Littlefae laid claim to this as she was enchanted by this tale of a grumpy unicorn with writer’s block.
Unicorn wants to write the best book ever but is lacking in ideas! A special writing house, a fluffy pen, a cup of Moonberry tea, a fancy notebook and nope, nada, not a thing.
His friends one by one ask to be in the story but unicorn is as bit of a rudeycorn even when they make him cookies. He gets madder until he explodes in frustration.
The idea of ignoring the inspiration or help in front of you reminds me of a story my Old Head Of Year would bring out about once a term about a devout but stubborn man and a flood, but the principle remains the same for everything.
We often focus so much on the big picture we forget or fail to pay attention to the small blessings and miss out on the joy, wonder or achievement in those.
The illustrations are exquisite with a fantastical psychedelic kaleidoscope of colour and shapes and the interplay of the water line showing the worlds both above and below in gorgeous vibrancy. I particularly love the citrusy shards of sunlight in the underwater scenes and dappled berry tones for the movement of waves above.
Thoughtful as ever, Sarah McIntyre has also uploaded a bundle of how to draw printables onto her website including the key characters from this book which gives added value to the story- I know the Fae both adore having a go at these, even if Tinyfae just colours the printed sheet!
A funny book that reminds children to see the wood and the trees, to not dismiss what is in front of them just because they want the best and that sometimes what is in front of them is the best anyway!
Grumpycorn by Sarah McIntyre is published by Scholastic.
Lily and the Fae 