Caroll Spinney (1933–2019)

Ever wondered how to be a grouch, like Oscar from Sesame Street? Well, with the help of How to be a Grouch by Caroll Spinney, you can learn from the best--Oscar himself!

How to be a Grouch is a guide to everything the prospective grouch needs to know: what to eat; where to go on vacation; how to start your day so you can be grouchy right from the get-go; and plenty of other useful information, like grouchy modes of transportation and how to recognize different kinds of grouches.

The illustrations in How to be a Grouch are hilarious and excellent, and the book is full of funny grouchy things, like the Grouch Trashplane or the suggested foods, like hot beef stew with chocolate gravy in a melon--quite a (disgusting) mouthful!

How to be a Grouch is a wonderful book not just for fans of Sesame Street, but for anyone who'd like a funny and beautifully illustrated children's picture book.

This review also appears on Barba Non DB.… (mehr)

This book is more of an autobiography rather than "The Wisdoms of Big Bird and Oscar the Grouch". I feel that some chapters really had nothing to do with their title. The book was also somewhat repetitive, and I thought the ending was good, but a big cliche.
However, I grew up watching Seasame Street and really enjoyed hearing behind the scene facts about the show, puppets, and the people who worked on it. There were also some very heart-warming moments in the chapters. It's a pretty easy read with short chapters. This is definitely a read for any Seasame Street or Jim Henson fan, but don't expect a lot of actual "wisdom", just fun stories about the show and the puppets!… (mehr)