" Grobblechops!" - a bookwrap

Introducing ... Amir and his Monster.  Read on and find out what's up!  

Unwrapping 

"Grobblechops"

Authored by Elizabeth Laird
Illustrations by Jenny Lucander

* Age Range:  4-7
* Grade Level:  1-2
* Series:  A Tale By Rumi
* Hardcover:  32 pages
* Publisher:  Tiny Owl Publishing
* Pub. Date:  September 3, 2019
* Language:  English



Editorial Review

"Based on a tale by the Sufi mystic Rumi, this oversized picture book adroitly calms a child’s fear of monsters through some creative parental problem-solving. Young Amir, toothbrush in hand, stalls at bedtime, imagining a monster with huge teeth who doubtlessly wants to eat him. His dad suggests that Amir growl like a tiger to scare the monster away and offers to intervene with a frying pan―but Amir conjures up monster parents with a larger frying pan. The scenario escalates, with Amir’s mom intrepidly charging in with an umbrella and the monster parents retaliating. Finally, Amir's parents offer coffee and sweets to their counterparts; while they chat, Amir shares his toy cars with his new monster friend, Grobblechops. Thus appeased, Amir settles down for the night in his cozy bed, holding his teddy bear close. But his dad leaves the door open, just a little, to let “a bit of light” in. The kinesthetic, splattery quality of the illustrations draws young eyes to the story, and the slightly off-kilter orientation of many of the scenes adds a sense of appropriately disorienting whimsy. The reassurance offered by Amir’s parents proves a comforting salve for a common childhood anxiety. Amir and his parents have brown skin and black hair. Endearing and good-hearted."

 -Kirkus Reviews

Unwrapping Some Wonderful Illustrations for You to Enjoy

Unwrapping the Story

Amir is adamant that he does not want to go to bed and he has a verbal altercation with his dad refusing to go.  Dad discovers that his small son is afraid of the dark and even worse, afraid that a monster might come in the night and eat him. Oh my! The poor little guy is very scared.

Dad assures his son that if a monster appears so will he with a fryng pan to shake at him and ward him off.  Amir then says:

"But what if the monster has a dad too?" 

 Dad says in that case he will call in more troops... mom with her huge umbrella and she will flap it right in the monster's face.  That will certainly scare him off.  

Amir keeps posing more what if questions until finally Dad gives hi m a scenario that appeases his fears and actually puts a smile on his face.  Why not be kind and gracious, share your toys and make the monster your friend instead thinking him as your enemy.  

Satisfied, Amir picks up his teddy, hops into bed and settles down for the night.  Dad peeks his head back around the door and asks if Amir's monster has a name.  Sleepily Amir replies that his name is Grobblechops and the he drifts off to Dreamland.

The illustrations are wonderful.  They are full of action, detail and emotion.  This book is perfect to share at bedtime if your little one is suffering from a bad case of "monsteritis". ( I just made that word up ) It is a lovely segue to spark a conversation about being afraid of the dark and dealing with scary, imagined monsters.  It will calm fears and instill comfort and peace at bedtime.  I highly recommend this book. 

Storywraps Rating - 5 HUGS!!!!!

Meet the Author

Elizabeth Laird is the multi-award winning author of many successful picture books, young fiction and YA novels. Her travels across the world have influenced her style of writing and choice of topics; she is well known for tackling a wide range of global issues through her work.

About the Illustrator 

Jenny Lucander, born 1975 in Helsinki, studied children’s book illustration, creation and storytelling at the university of Gothenburg, The School of Design. Jenny has illustrated several award-nominated children’s books.

Follow Storywraps

*Instagram: Storywraps

Email:  storywrapsblog@gmail.com

*Facebook:  www.facebook.com/Storywraps

*Twitter: Storywraps@Storywraps1

*Pinterest: Storywraps

I put hours of work finding the best kid's books to review for you each day.  If you enjoy visiting Storywraps and would like to donate something for my time and effort I would greatly appreciate it.

Go to the top of my blog at the right hand corner (below my photo) and please donate what you feel lead to give.  The amount you donate and the frequency you donate is totally up to you.  

I also have added a new button...  ko-fi.com  Simply buy me a cup of coffee if you would rather.  That would be fun.  Coffee and blogging go together like two peas in a pod as I'm always brewing up something here on Storywraps. 

 I thank you in advance for your support.  I adore what I do and would appreciate any amount that you may give so that I can make our Storywraps' community more thriving and exciting.  Thanks a million!  Books bind us together.   

Read on...

Read always.

It's a wrap! 

💜💜💜