About the Holiday

With all that’s going on this year, it’s hard to always stay positive. But trying to stay relaxed during times like these can be beneficial in many ways. Being upbeat can improve your health, lower chances of depression, make you more motivated, and lead to better relationships with family and friends. Yoga and relaxation exercises can help. For kids, reading funny books together can lighten the mood and lead to some much-needed laughter. Today’s book is a perfect place to start!

Thanks to little bee books for sending me a copy of Mootilda’s Bad Mood for review consideration. All opinions are my own. 

Mootilda’s Bad Mood

Written by Corey Rosen Schwartz and Kirsti Call | Illustrated by Claudia Ranucci

Mootilda woke up from her nap with hay in her hair, her pillow tossed to the side, and her favorite lovey lying on the floor. To make her feel better, her moomaw gave her an ice pop, but when “she grabbed the stick and took a lick, it landed at her feet.” Mootilda scowled. “‘I’m in a bad MOOD!’” she shouted. Her moomaw tried to put things right. “‘That’s terri-bull,’” she said. “She smoothed her cowlick, smooched her cheek, and said, ‘Go jump some rope.’”

Image copyright Claudia Ranucci, 2020, text copyright Corey Rosen Schwartz and Kirstie Call, 2020. Courtesy of little bee books.

Mootilda found some friends and started off just fine, but a trip-up sent them all in a heap. “‘I’m in a bad MOOOD!’” Mootilda bellowed.  Next, to soothe her exasperation, she tried swimming in the pond with the sheep. But while the lambs easily went “kerplop,” Mootilda did a painful “bovine belly flop.” The sheep agreed that Mootilda’s dive had been a “‘ca-lamb-ity,’” but suggested she take a bike ride. But her ride was not relaxing, and her game of H-O-R-S-E went astray. Mootilda stomped and yelled and thought she had been cursed.

Image copyright Claudia Ranucci, 2020, text copyright Corey Rosen Schwartz and Kirstie Call, 2020. Courtesy of little bee books.

But then the chickens who’d been playing in the bushes nearby told Mootilda their story of woe: a basketball had crashed their block building, their balloon had flown away, and their art projects had all been ruined. Mootilda thought it was quite a “cow-incidence” that they were “in a bad mood too.” That was just the word for what they were feeling, and the chickens scratched and clucked and crowed along with Mootilda. “‘We’re in a bad MOOOOOOOOOOOOOOD!’” But then, like her moomaw, Mootilda offered each chicken an ice cream dessert. She was just about to take her first lick of hers when… a crow flying by “knocked hers in the dirt.” Mootilda stared at her dropped cone… “and then she laughed. / her laughs rang on and on. / then suddenly, to her surprise, / her gloomy mood was…gone!”

Image copyright Claudia Ranucci, 2020, text copyright Corey Rosen Schwartz and Kirstie Call, 2020. Courtesy of little bee books.

No child will be able to stay unhappy long once they hear Corey Rosen Schwartz and Kirsti Call’s hilarious moood-boosting story. Rosen Schwartz and Call really milk the farmyard puns for maximum fun while providing a rollicking read aloud with giggle-inducing rhymes and rhythm. Mootilda’s move to cheer up the chickens mirrors her moomaw’s comfort and will remind readers of their own parents’ or caregivers’ reassurances. Mootilda’s reaction to losing her ice cream cone is pitch perfect and the final funny scene brings the story full circle. Kids will love chiming in on the repeated “I’m in a bad mooood” phrases, and as Mootilda proclaims that she’s “over the moooooooon,” you can be sure they’ll ask to hear the story one moooooore time.

Image copyright Claudia Ranucci, 2020, text copyright Corey Rosen Schwartz and Kirstie Call, 2020. Courtesy of little bee books.

Claudia Ranucci’s Mootilda is having the worst day ever, but the deep pout on her pink snout is more endearing than angry. As Mootilda tries activity after activity to have some fun and improve her mood, only to see disaster strike again and again, alert readers will be drawn to the background of each spread, where the chickens are experiencing their own fiascoes, caused by Mootilda’s mishaps. Flapping wings, flying art supplies, a buried sandcastle, a wayward balloon, and an explosion of blocks will keep kids laughing. Bold typography invites kids to read along on the puns, and Ranucci’s vibrant color palette will always brighten readers’ day.

To make any bad day better and any good day exceptional, Mootilda’s Bad Mood would be a fast favorite on home, school, and public library bookshelves.

Ages 4 – 8

little bee books, 2020 | ISBN 978-1499810868

Discover more about Corey Rosen Schwartz and her books on her website.

To learn more about Kirstie Call and her books and to sing along with Mootilda’s Song, visit her website.

You can learn more about Claudia Ranucci and view a portfolio of her work on her website.

Positive Attitude Month Activity

It’s hard to be in a bad mood with a cup of hot cocoa served in this cute cow mug that you’ve made yourself! 

Supplies

• White ceramic mug, available at craft stores
• Black permanent marker or paint for ceramics
• Pink permanent marker or paint for ceramics
• Brown permanent marker or paint for ceramics

Directions

1. With the pink marker or paint, draw an oval shape for the nose near the bottom of the mug. Let dry.
2. With the brown marker or paint, draw two angled nostrils inside the pink oval and color them in. Let dry.
3. Color in the nose with the pink marker or paint.
4. With the black marker, color the top tip of the handle where it meets the mug to make the tail.
5. With the black marker or paint, draw two wavy lines on either side of the face starting at the top, angling toward the middle and returning to the bottom of the mug. Leave white space between the lines.
6. Draw circles for eyes within the black lines. Add black pupils at the bottom of the eyes.
7. Color inside the black lines and around the eyes to make the face markings.
8. With the black marker or paint, make two or three splotches on the back of the mug.
9. Let the mug dry and follow the directions for the markers or paint to set the color.
10. Pour yourself a mug of milk and enjoy!

You can find Mootilda’s Bad Day at these booksellers

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Books-a-Million

To support your local independent bookstore, order from

Bookshop | IndieBound

Picture Book Review