About the Poem

Cantankerous is a lovely word. It means ill-tempered, sulky or quarrelsome. In Nottingham, where Patrick lives, there is an equally splendid word, mardy, which means all those things and more. But Grumpilla doesn't even have to be a proper word and I'm sure we all know what it means.

Style

Rhyming poem

Length

9 lines

Key Stage

KS1, KS2

Author

Kate Williams

Grumpillas

Sulky so-and-sos, gorillas, aren't they?
If you ever pass one, hunched on crossed legs,
don't try and pass the time of day.

Smile, and he'll scowl back.
Grin, and he'll glare back.
Wave, and he'll shrug back.
Leave, and he'll hurl a banana at your back.

At least they don't go in for tomatoes
or raw eggs.