Books Like Grumpy Monkey: Picks for Bad Moods and Big Feelings
By Dr. Anna Huang, PhD, practicing clinical psychologist
Last updated: November 5, 2026
When my daughter was two, Grumpy Monkey was one of her favorite books. She was fascinated with the page where a character was sad or upset, and loved seeing how the character eventually recovered. It is a big part of why I started writing feelings books myself.
Some mornings a kid just wakes up grumpy. Nothing happened. No lost toy. The mood just sits at the breakfast table, and every adult who asks what's wrong makes it worse. Grumpy Monkey was written for that exact morning.
Grumpy Monkey, by Suzanne Lang with pictures by Max Lang, gets something a lot of feelings books miss: sometimes a bad mood has no reason at all. His friends try everything to fix Jim Panzee's grump. He learns the mood can sit with you for a while. Kids absorb that message. Grown-ups need it more.
What do you reach for next? It depends on the day. Some moods show up out of nowhere. Some come from anger with a very clear cause, like a denied popsicle. I grouped the picks that way. Full disclosure: three of these are ours. For a broader shelf, our books about anger for kids covers the anger-heavy days in more depth.
The quick list
| Book | Best for |
|---|---|
| Grumpy Monkey | A mood with no cause |
| When Sadness Comes to Visit | The feeling that lingers |
| I Want A Popsicle! (ours) | Anger in the moment |
| When Sophie Gets Angry | Big anger that passes |
| Hands Are Not for Hitting | The hitting phase |
| The Color Monster | Naming many feelings |
| The Rabbit Listened | After something goes wrong |
| The Big Slide (ours) | Fear and bravery |
| When Mom Goes Out (ours) | Sadness at goodbye |
All of ours are $17 hardcover 10x10 picture books for ages 2 to 5, in English Only, Spanish, Simplified Chinese, Traditional Chinese, Cantonese and Korean editions, with coloring sheets and the ebook. Or grab the bundle of all three.
Bad moods with no clear cause
For the days nothing happened, and your child is out of sorts anyway.
Grumpy Monkey
Jim Panzee wakes up in a terrible mood for no good reason. His friends try everything to fix the grump, and it is Norman who finally lets him sit with it. I like that the book never hands Jim a quick fix. Publisher range: 3-7. I'd start it around 4, when a child can sit with a feeling that does not need solving.
When Sadness Comes to Visit
Eva Eland's sadness arrives like a quiet houseguest and refuses to be rushed out the door. It pairs well with Grumpy Monkey for a child whose mood sticks around for days. BookTrust pegs it at interest ages 4-8.
Anger in the moment
These are for the meltdown with a very specific cause and a very loud volume.
I Want A Popsicle!
Our I Want A Popsicle! was written for the exact second a toddler hears "no" at the checkout and the roof comes off. Eden wants the popsicle. Eden cannot have it. The anger gets a name and somewhere to go, with a deep breath a 2-year-old can copy the same day. Ages 2 to 5, in English or a bilingual edition.
When Sophie Gets Angry, Really, Really Angry
Molly Bang's classic gives anger its full size. Sophie's fury is huge and red and allowed to be huge, and the book never tells her to calm down first. She runs off to the tree and cries it out, and a warm home puts her back together. Publisher range: 4-8. This one is for big anger that needs to pass first.
Hands Are Not for Hitting
Martine Agassi's Best Behavior title is the pick for the hitting phase, when anger comes out through little fists. Hands get better jobs: waving, building, helping. The board book edition is labeled reading ages 1-3 by the publisher, and the revised paperback runs ages 4-7, so pick the format that fits. Pair it with our post on when big feelings come out as hitting.
Other big feelings beyond moods
Sometimes the feeling on the table is bigger than a grump.
The Color Monster
Anna Llenas's monster wakes up with his feelings all tangled, and sorts them into jars by color: happy is yellow, sad is blue, angry is red. It is the best naming book I know. Publisher range: 4-8, but 2-year-olds happily point at the colors long before they can name feelings.
The Rabbit Listened
Cori Doerrfeld's book is for the aftermath. A parade of animals offers to fix or shout or hide the problem, and the rabbit just stays and listens. It teaches the grown-up as much as the kid. Ages 3-5 per BookTrust. When a hard moment keeps replaying, co-regulation is the idea underneath it.
The Big Slide
Our The Big Slide is for the kid who loves the playground and freezes at the top of the tall one. Eden takes one deep breath and gets to decide whether today is the day. Ages 2 to 5, in English or a bilingual edition, and the fear gets treated as normal.
When Mom Goes Out
Goodbyes are hard at this age. Our When Mom Goes Out holds two true things at once: missing someone, and knowing they always come back. If a goodbye worry is intense or lasts for weeks, it is worth a calm conversation with your child's doctor. Ages 2 to 5.
How to read a mood book together
Read it on a good day first. If Grumpy Monkey only comes out mid-meltdown, your child hears "you are being Jim." On a calm afternoon, point at Jim's face and ask "have you ever felt like this?" Then the next real grumpy morning, the story is already a friend, not a lecture. Borrow one calm sentence: "It looks like a grumpy day. That is okay. It will move along."
FAQ
What age is Grumpy Monkey good for?
The publisher lists ages 3-7. I'd start it around 4, when a child can grasp that a mood can exist without a reason. Younger toddlers enjoy the pictures first.
What can I read instead of Grumpy Monkey for a toddler?
If your child is 2 or 3 and the feeling has a cause, start with a story scoped to one moment, like I Want A Popsicle! for exactly that kind of anger. For a mood with no cause at that age, naming books like The Color Monster fit better than a plot.
Why does my child wake up grumpy for no reason?
The same reason adults do. Sometimes it is short sleep or low blood sugar. Sometimes it is plain old brain chemistry. Keep the morning low-stakes and let the mood pass. The reason rarely shows up anyway.
Are there books like Grumpy Monkey in Spanish?
Yes. Our three books, I Want A Popsicle!, The Big Slide, and When Mom Goes Out, come in English Only, Spanish, Simplified Chinese, Traditional Chinese, Cantonese and Korean editions, so the feelings vocabulary lands in the language your family actually reads aloud.