Terrific

When Eugene wins a cruise to Bermuda, his response - "Terrific... I'll probably get a really nasty sunburn" - epitomizes his entire approach to life. When his ship goes down, and he is stranded on a tiny desert island, our grouchy hero's chorus of "terrifics" indicate that such catastrophe is only what he expected. What he doesn't expect, however, is Lenny the talking parrot, who instructs him in ship-building, setting in motion the duo's escape...

Since reading such picture-books as It's Only Stanley and The Other Side of Town, I have become an admirer of author/artist Jon Agee, whose dead-pan sense of humor never fails to entertain me. I was therefore pleased to learn that Terrific, originally published in 2005 and subsequently show more out-of-print, had been reprinted in this new 2017 edition. Good news, as it is a wonderfully entertaining book, with all the understated, oddball humor I was expecting, and its creator's signature cartoon-style artwork. The surprise ending is the icing on the cake! Recommended to all my fellow Jon Agee fans, and to anyone looking for children's stories about attitude (positive or negative). show less

Grumpy Eugene interprets even good news as bad news. Luckily for him, when he's stuck on an island after a shipwreck, a parrot named Lenny tells him how to build a boat. The two make a great pair - even Eugene is happy that they wind up together (post-rescue).

I think this is a great book. I like how lovably negative the main character is. I think it has a great message of finding friends, and fun, in unexpected places. The simple art adds to the book a lot.

Grumpy old Eugene wins a trip to Bermuda. While most people would be thrilled, Eugene can only see the negative. 'Terrific,' he says, 'I'll probably get a sunburn.' When he gets stranded on a desert island, his line is 'Terrific! I'll probably get eaten by cannibals.' He keeps up this attitude no matter what happens to him, sarcastically saying, 'Terrific!' and then predicting the worst possible thing that could happen to him given the circumstances. When he meets Lenny the parrot on the island, he ignores the bird's positive attitude and good ideas, continuing with his 'Terrific's. Lenny shows Eugene how they can build a boat to get off the island, and though he agrees to help, Eugene continues to be pessimistic. Finally, they make it show more to see and are rescued by some sailors. Strangely, Lenny doesn't talk to the sailors and only communicates with Eugene. When the sailors dock in Bermuda, Eugene is relieved, but assumes that Lenny will take off. However, Lenny jumps on his shoulder in a clear offer of companionship. Eugene's response is 'Terrific!,' but this time he really means it! show less

This was so dang cute. A grumpy old man who uses sarcasm as a defense mechanism finds a parrot that will change his life forever. The parrot not only saves his life by teaching him to build a boat, but also saves his life from being a lonely old man for the entirety of his life. This book is "terrific."

A glass-half-empty kind of guy doesn't recognize his good fortune because he's too grumpy all the time. He meets a parrot friend who changes his thinking and makes him realize that life really can be "terrific".

This is a hilarious picture book I'm looking forward to recommending! The narration is really funny and the pictures are nice. I think we all know of a grumpy grouch in our life. This book is about them!

This is my second book from Jon Agee. I really liked "It's Only Stanley", too.

This book also started on the title page. He has the illustrations introducing the story before the story begins. I really like that.
I also thought this book was hilarious. The man is so grumpy in the illustrations even though he keeps saying “Terrific!” His facial expressions in the book are funny and conveyed with simple lines. But in the end when he’s finally happy, his face and smile are conveyed with big lines and big words and his arms are open instead of crossed. It also had a happy ending which is always nice.