The Grudge Keeper

Description

How do you resolve a grudge? Take it to the Grudge Keeper! But be careful not to accumulate too many.No one in the town of Bonnyripple ever kept a grudge. No one, that is, except Cornelius, the Grudge Keeper. Ruffled feathers, petty snits, minor tiffs and major huffs, insults, umbrage, squabbles, dust-ups, and imbroglios—the Grudge Keeper received them all, large and small, tucking each one carefully away in his ramshackle cottage.
Gradually the grudges accumulate as Minnie Fletcher’s goat eats Elvira Bogg’s prizewinning petunias, Sylvester Quincy snags the schoolmaster’s toupee, and Big Otto stomps on Lily Belle’s feet during the spring fling.
One night the wind rises, flinging together the people and their grudges, scrambling the squabbles with the quibbles and piling the lows blows and the high dudgeon together. And where is Cornelius?
  “Wheeler’s (Miss Maple’s Seeds) sure hand and lyrical pen-and-ink spreads are the source of this story’s charm. Long skirts billow, the fairy-tale cottage of Cornelius the Grudge Keeper leans sweetly to one side, and the white scraps of paper on which villagers have written their grudges billow and drift like sea foam.”—Publishers Weekly“This is an especially attractive picture book. . . Wheeler’s eye-catching cartoon drawings are busy with activity and whimsical detail that adds fullness to this simple, pleasant tale, and Rockliff’s telling is sprightly. This book will resonate most with teachers and adults looking to share stories about the value of forgiveness.”—School Library Journal“Rockliff’s wordplay is a joy, while Wheeler’s Dickensian group of scowlers is pleasant to watch–even when they get happy.”—Booklist★ “Rockliff has created a clever fable characterized by ornate language, extraordinary characters and billowy atmosphere. . . . Wheeler’s strong, witty ink-and-watercolor illustrations combine with the text to humorously demonstrate that “holding a grudge” is a bad thing.”—Kirkus Reviews, Starred Review Mara Rockliff is the author of many lively books for children. She lives in eastern Pennsylvania with her family: and a small, yappy pet peeve. www.mararockliff.com
Eliza Wheeler grew up in Wisconsin in a family of teachers, musicians, and artists and received a degree in art and design from the University of Wisconsin-Stout. She is the bestselling illustrator-author of Miss Maple’s Seeds and was a recipient of the prestigious Sendak Fellowship. www.wheelerstudio.com CN