“Grumpy The Iguana has reason to be grumpy. This book is a true testament to friendship that can change your life. I really felt sad for the iguana on the day he became ‘grumpy’. The parrot entered the iguana’s life at just the right moment.”

— Pamela D.

“I thought that this was a great book and I loved the images.

The book tells the story of Grumpy the Iguana who lives up to his name after he loses his home and his daily routine – the book shows Grumpy making a friend and his personality changes.

It is a positive book for children – 4 stars from me for this one.”

—Donna M.

“This is a story about an iguana that loses his tree home in the wild due to deforestation, which makes him lose his happiness and become grumpy. A bird recognizes this grumpy iguana and his situation and invites the iguana to live with him in his tree home, where these two become great friends. This book could help children develop an interest in caring for and protecting wildlife and having compassion and empathy for the needy.”

—Monique S.

“This is a great, simple story. Perfect for toddlers or those just learning to read on their own. Grumpy the Iguana also displays some basic traits I hope all children are taught - friendship, gratitude, and a desire to help others. While the story is simple the concepts behind it are complex. Our iguana buddy is faced with a major disruption to his life when his tree is cut down. So, he resorts to some bleachers one night before a lovely Parrot comes along and saves the day by kindly offering him to stay in his tree. On the exterior of this it seems simple and easy. But imagine if we actually did this in real life. Brought those without housing or in trouble into our homes? What an amazing world it might be. Now I realize there are 1001 concerns and issues with simplifying things down like this; but I think for the purpose of teaching really little kids there isn’t any risk in saying that displaying kindness and helping others is the right thing to do. This is the kind of simple story that might open the door for larger conversations as the children get older. In fact, wouldn’t it be a great story to have a book club chat about? I’m thinking you could discuss things like: what are the concerns with the simplicity of housing being shared, is it not as simple as helping those who’ve had misfortune thrust upon them to receive the help they need, and how do you tell the difference between our Iguana (who just needs a helping hand) and someone who perhaps doesn’t know how to accept help or even process there is a problem. Interesting food for thought from a 32-page children’s book.”  

— Mel L.

“A lesson about being grumpy and learning that having a friend can change our situation and attitude. Grumpy is happy until someone cuts down the tree which is his home. He becomes grumpy with everyone. One day, he meets a parrot who asks him why he is so grumpy. After learning of Grumpy’s home, the parrot takes Grumpy to the tree that is the parrot’s home. He offers to share his tree with Grumpy. Thereafter, the two are inseparable and Grumpy is no longer cranky. There are two connecting lessons in this story. From Grumpy we learn that being crabby and pushing others away when we have a problem gets us nowhere. This leaves us stuck. From the parrot we learn that reaching out to someone who is grumpy and problem-solving makes both people happy and can result in finding a new friend. Also, it is apparent that when two people work together, problems are solved easier. Sharing is a positive message, as well. The illustrations are bright and colorful. The artwork feels perfect for the story.”

— Terrie C.