CRANKY

Narrator Jacob McNatt has to get a bit cranky for this picture book featuring a crane named Cranky who builds a bridge with his friends, Zippy, Wheezy, and Dump Chuck. Automotive wordplay adds a sense of fun to this story of Cranky's sour mood. McNatt captures Cranky's disposition at once as he testily snaps at the merry morning greetings of his friends. During lunch break, McNatt switches gears to convey Cranky's lonely and tired inner voice. His friends' cheerfulness is getting on his nerves. Later, he briefly shouts at his friends as they try to discern the cause of his bad mood and cheer him up. In the end, as good friends do, they realize that sometimes, you're just cranky--and that's OK. L.T. © AudioFile 2024, Portland, Maine [Published: FEBRUARY 2024]