Gracie really is a grumpy dinosaur; in fact, she's so grumpy that the adult in me would like to give her a smack! Not allowed, I know, but this 'child' needs some serious discipline. Mummy dinosaur tends to explain to her friends that Gracie is 'tired', but tiredness can't explain refusing her specially cooked breakfast, throwing her toys around, throwing things on the floor at the supermarket and not wanting 'grassy grits' for dinner. It is only at night when mum is trying to read her a story (which she doesn't want) and mum says, 'Oh Gracie, couldn't you just one day be Gracie Grin-osaurus' that this shocks Gracie so much that she actually smiles. As a parable about how not to behave, this could hardly be bettered, and the dinosaur world where the family live in a cave with all mod cons is laugh-out-loud funny. Good for schools as well as home, and the Notes for Parents and Teachers at the end give excellent advice on using the book and on helping children get rid of their grumpy feelings. There is a list of further reading too.