Scowl - Hardcover

Steve Smallman is the author of numerous children's books, including A Hug for Humphrey, The Lamb Who Came to Dinner and Smelly Peter the Great Pea Eater. A father of four grown-up children, Steve now has grandchildren to test his stories on. His latest picture book, Dragon Stew, was Highly Commended at the Sheffield Children's Book Awards.

Richard D. Watson is president of SSHC, Inc., a leading HVAC radiant systems design and manufacturing firm in the Northeast with headquarters in Old Saybrook, Connecticut and a consultant to utilities and other organizations.

Kirby S. Chapman, Ph.D., is professor of mechanical engineering at Kansas State University, and a widely consulted expert on radiant heating and cooling principles and applications.

PreS-Gr 2—Cupcake Wood, full of flowers, music, pink bunnies, and other frolicking wildlife, oozes with glee. The opening spread of happiness contains only one noticeable snag. Scowl the owl sits in a tree on the labeled "Grumpy Branch," with his back to readers and a black cloud over his head. The other animals try to cheer him up throughout the story with gifts, songs, and cuddles, but he wants no part of this saccharine sweetness. Even his speech bubbles are black. When Scowl realizes his actions have truly upset a little bird, he does what he can to rectify the situation, including apologizing, but in the end he won't try to be something he's not. The animals finally ask what would make him happy, and Scowl lets them know: "'Being grumpy!' he said, 'It's great fun!'" Bright, cartoon illustrations with wide-eyed creatures convey the proper spirit for a place called "Cupcake Wood," and the exaggerated contrast between happy and grumpy should amuse young listeners. This story begins to explore the idea of embracing one's own feelings and moods while extending some empathy and acceptance toward those of others.—Julie Roach, Cambridge Public Library, MA