The Grumpster: Crankenstein by Samantha Berger and Dan Santat

EVERY MORNING DURING THE PRODUCTION OF THIS BOOK, DAN SANTAT DEPRIVED HIMSELF OF COFFEE.

JUST THE RIGHT AMOUNT OF CRANKINESS WAS IMPERATIVE!

And why would that erstwhile jolly jokester Dan Santat want to get in a grouchy groove? Because he's got to find the proper funk to draw Crankenstein as he goes through one of his downright disgruntled days.

HAVE YOU SEEN CRANKENSTEIN? YOU'D TOTALLY KNOW IF YOU HAD. YOU'D SAY "IT'S A GOOD DAY!"

CRANKENSTEIN WOULD SAY...


MEHHRRRR!

Crankenstein is a bit of a Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde hybrid. He'll be looking like a regular kid, about to tuck into a stack of pancakes... and if there's only a pitiful drop of syrup left in the bottle, he becomes ... Crankenstein. A cold rain, untied shoelaces dragging in the puddles, a bit of dog poo on his shoe, a melting-too-fast popsicle, a long, long, line for the carnival ride, a spoonful of gross-o medicine--all are enough to turn his face as green as the Incredible Hulk's and signal a temper tantrum on the way! Is there anything out there funny enough to make this sulky kid smile?

Samantha Berger's just-published Crankenstein (Little, Brown, 2013), peevishly illustrated by a sullen, out-of-sorts, definitely decaffeinated Dan Santat, has just the right tongue-in-cheek touch to tug a smile out of the grumpiest kid, especially when he gets the chance to meet another grumpster just as temperamental as he is. Calling all ye green meanies! As Kirkus Reviews promises, "Get ready to read this aloud a lot.

Presumably, author Samantha Berger is into bad behavior, being the author of Martha Doesn't Share! and Martha Doesn't Say Sorry! (see my reviews here), and Dan Santat has surely battled his share of bad outcomes in his illustrations for Mac Barnett's Oh No!: Or How My Science Project Destroyed the World. (see review here).