Story of Grump and Pout Rlb

Grouches and monsters, surely among the most appealing of characters to most children, give this book a fine start. And in the case of this husband-and-wife collaboration, the result is a deliciously silly story whose hairy, ornery protagonists are beguiling indeed. All the other monsters avoid the irascible Grump and her only slightly less cantankerous husband Pout. But when Pout acquires a pair of the most wonderfully comfortable shoes, he finds his mood improving; and even Grump cannot sustain her ill temper in the face of her new shoes and Pout's generosity in buying them for her. McEwan's text and Boynton's cartoony illustrations are packed with droll expressions and witty details: images of the newly transformed Grump dancing with happiness are sure to strike the funnybone, as are the comments and observations of the other, rather timid, monsters throughout. All ages. (April)