Grumpface by B.C.R. Fegan

Published: May 1st, 2017

# of Pages: 32

Source: Review Copy 

The Grumpface is a poetic fairy-tale that tells the story of Dan, an inventor who ventures into a forest looking for a rose. Instead he finds the mysterious Grumpface who threatens to hold him captive unless he passes some difficult challenges. What follows is a humorous adventure that neither Dan nor the Grumpface could have anticipated.

The Grumpface is a tale in the spirit of any grand adventure. It is about a clumsy young inventor's quest for love and the challenges he must face to find it. It is also a tale of bravery, absurdity and happiness, and the power of these qualities over negativity and sheer grumpiness.

Every parent will be acquainted with their own little 'grumpface' now and then. This story stands as a small piece of hope - that no matter how ingrained the grump, there will always remain in every one of us a smile or a laugh just waiting to come out.

I received this book from TaleDale Press for an honest review. Thank you to them and the author for providing me with this opportunity. 

I am a huge fan of picture books and read them all the time for work so I was excited when I was asked to review a copy of this book. The things about picture books is that they are versatile and can be enjoyable for both adults and children. What I liked most about this book was the fact that it made me feel like I was reading a new and improved take on a fairy tale. I'm a huge fan of any sort of re-tellings so this definitely was a bonus for me. I also enjoyed the artwork which was definitely rich in color and looked quite different from a lot of artwork I've been seeing in children's books lately. The story maintained my attention and definitely made me smile at various points. 

There was one thing I didn't find appealing about the book and it was the rhyme scheme. Sometimes it worked perfectly which is a great way/tool for children to improve their reading skills; however, there was a time when it didn't work for me at all and the text become awkward and felt slightly forced. I understand what the author was trying to do; however, it didn't work for the book on a consistent basis. 

Overall, it was a great picture book. I really enjoyed it and I would love to see more things from this author.