Self-awareness can sometimes help us avoid acting out our bad moods. A big, grumpy black bear goes berserk at a carnival: popping a fox kit's balloon, upsetting the face-painting booth, failing at line etiquette. Though a raccoon clown tries to divert him, Bear is having none of it. Briefly, a scent seems to draw him, until a hare magician's attempt to corral him with a rope renews his ire. Then a trap baited with food snares him, spurring an apology, explanation, and tears. As in the creators' Bug on the Rug (2022), a last-minute mediator identifies the problem: Shrew understands what being "hangry" is like. On the final pages, Shrew also becomes hangry but cheerfully explains the word's meaning. The spare text moves briskly through a half-dozen rhyming sounds. The message is clear: Though this sort of behavior is unacceptable, it is understandable. The candy-colored, cartoonish illustrations include some unusual animals (a yak, an elk) among the fairgoers, and the creatures' faces are all emotionally expressive.

A hangry bear goes on a rampage through a local fair--pushing friends aside, roaring, and generally doing all the nasty things we do when we're hungry. Finally, sweet Shrew identifies the problem and Hare conjures up a quick snack. Satisfied, and a little ashamed, Bear apologizes and insists on fixing the damage he's caused. Until Shrew gets a bit hangry herself…

A funny, rhyming romp that introduces readers to phonics and decodable text.

Sophia Gholz is an award-winning author whose books include Bug on the Rug, The Boy Who Grew a Forest: The True Story of Jadav Payeng, and more. When she isn’t exploring the great outdoors, you can find Sophia in a library, visiting schools or working on her next book.

Susan Batori’s books include Don’t Call Me Fuzzybutt and Letters from Space. She worked in advertising before switching to children’s book illustration. Susan lives in Budapest, Hungary.