Abilene elementary School teacher and author Matt Roemisch wrote a children’s book while stuck at home during the pandemic, Ask Someone Grumpy to Read You This Book ($7.99 paperback).

It’s a rhyming children’s book, but he tells children not to read it by themselves. “You must ask someone grumpy to read you this book. If you can’t find someone grumpy, just take a second look. Trust me, grumpy people are all around, so jump up and find one, then come sit back down.”

So the grumpy adult begins to explain his (or her) grumpiness, and in the process of reading the book together, of course, the frowns turn upside down.

Roemisch says the book is not only for kids with grumpy adults in their lives, but also perhaps for adults with grumpy kids in their lives.