Sourpuss and Sweetie Pie

Written by Norton Juster

Narrated by Michele Medlin

In Norton Juster's brilliant sequel to Caldecott winner The Hello, Goodbye Window, Nanna and Poppy never quite know who will show up for a visit-Sourpuss or Sweetie Pie. In a heartbeat, their precious granddaughter can change from a pure joy to a real grouch. One moment she's kind and cooperative, and the next she's stubborn and mean. And when she lies down to sleep as Sweetie Pie, her grandparents wonder what she'll be like when she wakes up. But Nanna and Poppy will love her, no matter what.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Recorded Books, Inc.
• Release date: Dec 13, 2013
• ISBN: 9781470355470

Norton Juster

Norton Juster was born in New York State in 1929 and grew up (carefully) in Brooklyn, studied architecture at the University of Pennsylvania and spent a year in Liverpool on a Fulbright Scholarship. After spending three years in the US Navy, he practiced architecture in New York and Massachusetts before teaching architecture and planning. His work includes The Dot and the Line, which was made into an animated film, and a musical adaptation of The Phantom Tollbooth.

Reviews for Sourpuss and Sweetie Pie

[dukefan86 · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

Too much of an initially cute thing here. Fun artwork, but I grew weary of this little girl, and wanted to send her to her room to stay. (Maybe that was the point.)

[lillged · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

In the child narrator's interactions with her Nanna and Poppy, we get an honest picture of real childlike honesty and temperament. She goes between sourpuss and sweetie pie and recognizes how she inhabits both identities. The honesty between the narrator and her grandparents is enduring, even if readers may hope she find more control over her emotions or at least apologize for the way she treats her grandparents.

[krguarisco · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Sourpuss and Sweetie Pie is another beautifully illustrated book by Chris Raschka. Emotions are shown through two side of the little girl.