The Grumpy Frumpy Croissant by Mona k & Korey Scott (Illustrator)

Synopsis (via Goodreads): This is a story about a grouchy croissant who is angry with his friends.

He uses the mindful magic of breath to get his butter back.

I received a copy of this book from Red Clover Digital in exchange for an honest review. My thoughts and opinions are my own. 

I'm really glad I read The Grumpy Frumpy Croissant on my own and not with my kids. This book was ridiculously impractical and failed to covey anything even remotely similar to a story. The only thing I liked about this book - and why it received two stars on Goodreads instead of one - were the coloring pages included at the end. I think it's great when books have activities for children (this one also contained a recipe for croissants), and believe they have the potential to solidify the information shared within a book.

Why was this book nonsensical? Because it implied that the characters (Croissant, Toast & Scone) were repeatedly placed on a plate - like it was their daily routine or something - which simply wasn't feasible. Croissant starts acting angry and "grumpy" when Toast and Scone are plated first, which left him hanging off the edge. Uh, hello? Does anyone else know how food works? Once food is on a plate, it's usually consumed or tossed in the garbage. There is no do over the next day, especially not with the same items (unless they were leftovers and reheated). The story implied that this was what the characters did every day, which felt a little morbid since they should've been eaten and killed off based on their setting and what they were. If the author had chosen a different setting, maybe I could have suspended my disbelief, but a plate really didn't work for this book.

I also didn't like how Croissant's anger was addressed. It felt like the breathing techniques they used were tossed in to make this book seem more informative than it actually was. Yes, breathing is important when you're angry, but it wasn't something the author explained. They simply said you should "drink milk and breathe," whenever you're feeling upset. Also, Milk was one of their friends, so it was super weird that they were drinking him. It's not like he has a limitless supply of himself at his disposal. It felt slightly cannibalistic, to be honest.

The illustrations were also somewhat suggestive, and I really hope that wasn't intentional. Croissant leaking his "butter" and the flow of  Milk's "milk" are two instances that immediately come to mind. (★⋆☆☆☆)

*I received compensation for my review of this book

*this post has been backdated