Synopses & Reviews
All the animals try to get a reaction out of the mysterious lumpy grumpalump, but nothing happens until the gnu blows into it and gets an inflated surprise.
Review
"In cumulative style, a succession of animals climb on a 'grumpalump' (it seems to be a gaily colored mound of fabric): 'The bear stared, the cat sat, the mole rolled, the dove shoved. . . .' The gnu, however, blew until-after some astonishing transformations-the 'grumpalump began to grin' and then becomes an airship in which the gnu takes off. The delicious, remarkably concise wordplay is ably supported by Firth's deftly limned art, in which each beast has an appropriately comic character and the surprise unfolds at just the right moment."
Review
"Even listeners too young to know the difference between a gnu and a yak will love the sounds of this cumulative tale, as a parade of animals confronts the mysterious grumpalump, which just lies there-a big multicolored pile of stuff-resisting the animals' attempts to get it to do something but grump. . . . Large print and lots of defining white space make this a terrific just-one-more for storytime."