Published: 2022
Series: Companion title to Sometimes I’m Bombaloo
Author: Rachel Vail
Illustrator: N/A
Genres: Picture Books, Emotion, Childrens, Mental Health, Realistic Fiction, Fiction, Family
Audience (Grade Levels): Elementary
Number of Stars: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Goodreads Link: Sometimes I GrumbleSquinch
Triggers: Big Feelings (Anger, frustration, pressure to be perfect, emotional outbursts)
Review By: Jacqueline Wolken
Publisher’s Summary:
A sweet and touching exploration of the scariness of BIG feelings and overcoming the pressures to do everything “just right,” in this companion title to bestselling picture book Sometimes I’m Bombaloo . Katie Honors is a really nice kid. But there’s one little secret that sometimes makes her feel not-so-nice deep her little brother, Chuck. Katie loves her brother and works hard to be the perfect big sister but it can be hard. Chuck can sometimes be just so icky and messy. Sometimes it makes Katie secretly wish she had a trampoline or a treehouse or a giraffe instead of a brother. When all these emotions bubble up to the surface, Katie can no longer grumblesquinch them down. She explodes, but she also learns an important that there’s room for ALL of her feelings, even the scary ones. Sometimes I Grumblesquinch masterfully explores the pressure children often feel to be perfect all the time and helps them realize that it’s okay to share frustrating, and at times, not-so-nice thoughts and seek comfort from adults to help them manage those feelings. This story explores key social emotional skills that kids need to navigate complicated feelings, and will live alongside bestsellers like When Sophie Gets Really Really Angry and How Do Dinosaurs Say I’m Mad . Once again, Rachel Vail taps into universal childhood experiences that are often left unexplored, and does so with sensitivity, humor, and respect for the wide range of emotions kids face today.
Review:
This is an absolutely delightful picture book about the big feelings that children experience and how to deal with them. With a big push to incorporate Social Emotional Learning into our curriculums, Sometimes I GrumbleSquinch is a very relatable story about how young Katie deals with the rainbows and thunderstorms of her emotions. It is important for our students to learn to identify their emotions and their triggers, as well as develop strategies for how to handle those feelings when they come along. The term “grumblesquinch” that was coined by author Rachel Vail adds a bit of humor to the angry emotions that young children often feel. In this story, Katie prides herself on being a “good kid”, but at the same time she is struggling with her annoyance brought on by her baby brother, Chuck. Katie struggles internally with how to be a good kid, even though she’s having these negative feelings. This book demonstrates that it is okay to not only have these feelings, but also to share them with your trusted adult. These feelings should be normalized so kids understand that it’s okay to express your feelings. And there’s no greater cure for the grumblesquinches than a hug from Mom.
Classroom & Curricular Connections:
- Social-Emotional Learning (SEL): This text serves as a phenomenal core resource for explicit SEL instruction, aligning perfectly with initiatives aimed at helping young children identify internal emotional triggers, unpack personal frustrations, and build safe coping habits.
- English Language Arts (ELA): A wonderful mentor text for introducing metaphoric language (“rainbows and thunderstorms of emotions”) and analyzing character development, internal conflict, and the use of invented vocabulary words like “grumblesquinch” to amplify voice and tone.
- Extension Activity / Library Application:
- “My Own Grumblesquinch” Calm-Down Activity: Following a collaborative read-aloud, elementary students can draw their own version of a “grumblesquinch” or write down things that trigger their big feelings. They can brainstorm and document a list of active strategies to deal with these moments, such as talking to a trusted adult or receiving a reassuring hug.
- Library Storytime Integration: Perfect for structured read-aloud programs focused on mental health or coping mechanisms, allowing librarians to pause and prompt interactive group reflections on what it truly means to navigate the internal pressure of being a “good kid”.
- Diversity & Representation: By exploring universal childhood struggles that frequently go unspoken—specifically the intense pressure on kids to appear perfect, quiet, or happy all the time—this story provides validating representation for youth mental health and emotional well-being. It directly normalizes a wide, diverse spectrum of human emotions, teaching young learners that having negative thoughts or experiencing a behavioral breakdown doesn’t strip away their status as a good kid.
Readalikes:
- Sometimes I’m Bombaloo by Rachel Vail
- When Sophie Gets Really Really Angry… More Really, Really Angry by Molly Bang
- How Do Dinosaurs Say I’M MAD? by Jane Yolen and Mark Teague
