Sunshiny bunny Ruth is determined to show Bruce that spring is wonderful, and full of good smells, but his grumpy outlook is unchanged - especially when he gets stung by a bee and falls down a hill. And I think we can all agree with this one..."Bruce does not like the smell of wet moose."

A small, square trim size and brief story add on to the Bruce universe. ( )

Bruce the bear remains true to his grouchy nature in this smaller-format picture book, unimpressed by the smells of spring, as they are presented to him by an eager little bunny named Ruth. The green grass, sweet daisies and woodsy-fresh trees all fail to win him over, but the climax comes when Ruth douses him with honey... something that smells like trouble to our ursine hero!

After debuting in author/illustrator Ryan T. Higgins' 2016 Mother Bruce, this eponymous bear's grumpy adventures have been chronicled in six additional full-sized picture books, as well as in two board books, a few early readers, and a number of these smaller, square picture books. Spring Stinks is the first of the latter that I have tracked down, owing to my fondness for the character and his goslings (not to mention the mice!). Unfortunately, while the artwork here was as droll as ever, and while the story itself had that same sense of humor (all tied to Bruce's perpetual gloom), somehow this one didn't work as well for me, as some other titles in the series. There wasn't anything particularly wrong with it, but it felt a little flat to me, in comparison to some of the other books. I'll probably still track down the other titles in this format—as mentioned, the illustrations were enjoyable, elevating this from a two or two-and-a-half-star to three-star read—but I think I would really only recommend this one to devoted fans of the character and his world. ( )

I love Bruce, my grumpy bear. And while this one is not favorite (or to be confused with the typical length Bruce books), I smiled at the end. You have to look at the end papers in order to get it ;) ;)

Truly, spring does stink! LOL ( )

I know. Bruce is adorable. But this felt a little forced. Try the first books in the series, if you haven't read them yet. But you don't have to read this one. ( )

I really like the Bruce books by Ryan T. Higgins -- very creative and entertaining with fall off your chair humor.

This title is around the subject of the smells of springtime as Ruth tries to share her joy of spring with grumpy Bruce. Ruth happily gathers up each item and shares with Bruce who only becomes grumpier and grumpier.

Be sure to look carefully at the pictures because they add another level to the story -- especially the last page.

The format of the book is a small hardcover that would be easy for smaller hands to hold and turn pages. ( )