Plus get our latest book recommendations, author news, and competitions right to your inbox.
Published by Quirk Books
Distributed by Simon & Schuster
Table of Contents
About The Book
The Princess in Black meets Monsters, Inc. in this zany, heartwarming series for early readers 4 to 8 years old!
Sparkly, silly, and perfect for early readers, Corey Ann Haydu and Anne Appert’s winning series tackles life’s first big changes with whimsy and heart.
In GlumbleGlibble, one ritual is certain: when something hard happens, it’s called a Tricky Turnaround. And when it does, a Happy Helpful Human from the “real” world will help you through it.
But when Zoomi’s best friend moves away and Zoe arrives, she doesn’t seem very happy. Or helpful. Or excited about the party Zoomi threw for her—complete with toothbrushes and tuba music. In fact, Zoe may be in a Tricky Turnaround of her own. Can Zoomi and Zoe help each other with the trickiest parts of growing up, like saying goodbye to friends and making new ones?
“This wholly magical, wholly child-centered story of GlumbleGlibblers and the humans who love them reads like rolling down a rainbow mud slide to find a picnic waiting at the bottom. With cake, of course.”—Liz Garton Scanlon, author of the Bibsy Cross series
Read about more of their adventures in Zoomi and Zoe and the Sibling Situation and Zoomi and Zoe and the Camp Catastrophe!
Sparkly, silly, and perfect for early readers, Corey Ann Haydu and Anne Appert’s winning series tackles life’s first big changes with whimsy and heart.
In GlumbleGlibble, one ritual is certain: when something hard happens, it’s called a Tricky Turnaround. And when it does, a Happy Helpful Human from the “real” world will help you through it.
But when Zoomi’s best friend moves away and Zoe arrives, she doesn’t seem very happy. Or helpful. Or excited about the party Zoomi threw for her—complete with toothbrushes and tuba music. In fact, Zoe may be in a Tricky Turnaround of her own. Can Zoomi and Zoe help each other with the trickiest parts of growing up, like saying goodbye to friends and making new ones?
“This wholly magical, wholly child-centered story of GlumbleGlibblers and the humans who love them reads like rolling down a rainbow mud slide to find a picnic waiting at the bottom. With cake, of course.”—Liz Garton Scanlon, author of the Bibsy Cross series
Read about more of their adventures in Zoomi and Zoe and the Sibling Situation and Zoomi and Zoe and the Camp Catastrophe!
Excerpt
Chapter One
There was one thing Zoomi loved: parties.
And there was one place Zoomi didn’t want to be: Moo’s party.
Not because Zoomi didn’t like Moo. In fact, Zoomi loved Moo. Moo was Zoomi’s best friend.
Which is exactly why Zoomi didn’t want to be at his going away party.
There were starcakes and a cloud house and dinosaur rides. But Zoomi would give up a hundred dinosaur rides if it meant Moo could stay.
“I can’t stay,” Moo said when Zoomi asked for the fifty-third time. They were eating starcakes while waiting for their turn to go down the rainbow mud slide. “We have a new home now. Three hours away.”
Zoomi didn’t know much about hours, but three sounded like too many. And she could not think of anywhere better than Moo’s cave, where he lived now. Except for maybe Doug’s bubble palace. Or Izly’s treetop home. Or Zoomi’s own invisible castle. But Moo’s parents had found some other cave in some other place, far away from Zoomi.
“Your turn,” Moo said. He always let Zoomi go first.
Zoomi went splat onto her furry stomach and did a slip-slide-swoosh down the rainbow mud. When she got up, her fur had turned every color of the rainbow. Moo went down next. His slippery scales made him go extra fast. When he got to the bottom, his parents said it was time to go.
The party was over.
“Don’t worry,” Moo said when Zoomi started to cry. “This is our Tricky Turn-around! And you know what that means.” Zoomi was crying so hard she only heard the last word Moo said.
“It is mean!” she replied. “It is so mean that your parents are making you move away!”
Moo tried again.
“No, Zoomi, that’s not what I said. I said it’s our Tricky Turnaround. We’ll finally get our Happy Helpful Humans! And they’ll get us! And then you’ll go down the rainbow mud slide together.”
Zoomi wiped away some tears. How had she forgotten? Her Happy Helpful Human! She had been waiting her whole life for this!
“I’m really going to get one?” Zoomi asked.
“We both are,” Moo said.
Zoomi swallowed. Moo’s Human was the luckiest. Moo’s Human got to have Moo. But first, Moo had to leave Zoomi. That was the sad part.
There couldn’t be a Tricky Turnaround and a Happy Helpful Human without the sad part.
And the sad part was really, really sad.
That’s what made it so tricky.
There was one thing Zoomi loved: parties.
And there was one place Zoomi didn’t want to be: Moo’s party.
Not because Zoomi didn’t like Moo. In fact, Zoomi loved Moo. Moo was Zoomi’s best friend.
Which is exactly why Zoomi didn’t want to be at his going away party.
There were starcakes and a cloud house and dinosaur rides. But Zoomi would give up a hundred dinosaur rides if it meant Moo could stay.
“I can’t stay,” Moo said when Zoomi asked for the fifty-third time. They were eating starcakes while waiting for their turn to go down the rainbow mud slide. “We have a new home now. Three hours away.”
Zoomi didn’t know much about hours, but three sounded like too many. And she could not think of anywhere better than Moo’s cave, where he lived now. Except for maybe Doug’s bubble palace. Or Izly’s treetop home. Or Zoomi’s own invisible castle. But Moo’s parents had found some other cave in some other place, far away from Zoomi.
“Your turn,” Moo said. He always let Zoomi go first.
Zoomi went splat onto her furry stomach and did a slip-slide-swoosh down the rainbow mud. When she got up, her fur had turned every color of the rainbow. Moo went down next. His slippery scales made him go extra fast. When he got to the bottom, his parents said it was time to go.
The party was over.
“Don’t worry,” Moo said when Zoomi started to cry. “This is our Tricky Turn-around! And you know what that means.” Zoomi was crying so hard she only heard the last word Moo said.
“It is mean!” she replied. “It is so mean that your parents are making you move away!”
Moo tried again.
“No, Zoomi, that’s not what I said. I said it’s our Tricky Turnaround. We’ll finally get our Happy Helpful Humans! And they’ll get us! And then you’ll go down the rainbow mud slide together.”
Zoomi wiped away some tears. How had she forgotten? Her Happy Helpful Human! She had been waiting her whole life for this!
“I’m really going to get one?” Zoomi asked.
“We both are,” Moo said.
Zoomi swallowed. Moo’s Human was the luckiest. Moo’s Human got to have Moo. But first, Moo had to leave Zoomi. That was the sad part.
There couldn’t be a Tricky Turnaround and a Happy Helpful Human without the sad part.
And the sad part was really, really sad.
That’s what made it so tricky.
About The Illustrator
Product Details
- Publisher: Quirk Books (June 3, 2025)
- Length: 96 pages
- ISBN13: 9781683694588
- Ages: 4 - 8
Browse Related Books
Raves and Reviews
“This whimsical chapter book shines with good humor, vibrant artwork, and empathy for young readers and their emotional ups and downs.”—Caroline Carlson, Lit Hub
“A sweet exploration of communication and compromise, dealing with loss, and making new friends.”—Ana Menchaca, Booklist
“Haydu (A Place for Feelings) sweetly addresses the importance of communication and compromise in fostering positive relationships. Brightly colored illustrations packed with whimsical details by Appert (What If You Wish?) amplify Zoe and Zoomi’s tender emotional journey.”—Publishers Weekly
“This wholly magical, wholly child-centered story of GlumbleGlibblers and the humans who love them reads like rolling down a rainbow mud slide to find a picnic waiting at the bottom. With cake, of course.”—Liz Garton Scanlon, author of the Bibsy Cross series
Resources and Downloads
High Resolution Images
-
Book Cover Image (jpg): Zoomi and Zoe and the Tricky Turnaround
Hardcover 9781683694588
