Grumpy Hat

Ravi is cross with his little sister Ruby and breaks her toy car, kicking it in anger. They both go to bed feeling unhappy and the next day, Ravi wakes up with a Grumpy Hat stuck firmly on his head. No matter what he does, he cannot get it off. Dad makes several suggestions, such as eating breakfast, having a bath and playing outside.

Although these things help a little, Ravi’s Grumpy Hat still won’t budge, which begins to get him down. As the hat grows bigger, it swallows Ravi up and he feels isolated, sad and lonely. Can he figure a way out of his predicament?

This engaging picture book, with delightful canine characters, explores difficult emotions with young children, helping them to develop empathy and emotional awareness. The red hat is an effective visual metaphor for Ravi’s crankiness, while powerful similes in the text beautifully articulate his feelings: his body fizzing with crossness, the hat heavy as a log and itchy like a spider’s dance class.

Colourful illustrations will help young children to understand how Ravi feels and could encourage discussion about how readers might behave in a similar situation.