Bozeman author Julia Shaw reflects on inspiration for her first picture book, ‘The Grumpy Wumpus,’ and what’s to come
By Jen Clancey STAFF WRITER
When Julia Shaw’s daughter turned 18 months old, a flip switched. While her daughter’s first year-and-a-half of life was peaceful and easygoing, suddenly Shaw noticed her daughter’s mood transform into surprising fits about things like a sandwich cut the wrong way. Like many parents trying to reel in big emotions for their kids, she researched parenting techniques and scripts for mindfulness to practice with her child.
“And the scripts enraged her even more,” Shaw said. It became clear that she needed a new approach, so she opted for playfulness. From there emerged the Grumpy Wumpus, a name she came up with for the big feelings that overtook her daughter, and the title of Shaw’s first picture book for families. “The Grumpy Wumpus” follows a little girl named Chloe who becomes a grumpy, albeit adorable, creature when she’s upset, and focuses on the character’s acceptance of overwhelming feelings, instead of well-meaning attempts to fix emotions.
Shaw found that when parents complimented the rhyming text and message, they also asked for tips on how to fix their child’s mood issues through common exercises like deep breathing. She responded with understanding of parents’ intentions.
“You know, I understand the instinct, but it’s really not the point because in reality, deep breaths are not a cure-all, and the point is not to fix it,” Shaw said. “The point is to name it and notice it and feel safe talking about it.”
Since the book’s release this year, she’s heard from friends that their kids use Grumpy Wumpus to describe hard moments. For example, one friend’s daughter explained her brother’s tantrums as him being a Grumpy Wumpus, and another friend’s child admitted that she’d been a Grumpy Wumpus the day before.
The message doesn’t only apply to kids. Shaw used the Wumpus terminology to describe her own difficult experiences to her daughters. Last year, Shaw was diagnosed with cancer and underwent treatment. Her kids sensed the change at home and on the surface knew what was happening, but didn’t understand how the illness may affect their mom’s energy, mood and abilities.
“It was helpful for me to be able to reflect to them that they were perceiving things accurately,” Shaw said. “It’s like, ‘Yep, you’re right. This is different, and I am not how I used to be, and I’m a Wumpus right now. And that’s okay. Everyone’s a Wumpus sometimes, and we’ll get through it.’”
Her cancer diagnosis also reignited her dream of publishing a book. Shaw is not new to writing—as soon as she could hold a pencil she began telling stories. Her boundless love for writing left her with hundreds of pages of writing, including a Harry Potter fan-fiction written by her middle school self, and much later on, an editing job at Penguin Random House in New York where she still proofreads.
The rhyme-style version of “The Grumpy Wumpus” sat in a drawer for three or four years until Shaw’s diagnosis.
“That was another big piece of what motivated me to just get it moving and stop waiting for permission and stop waiting for someone else to tell me it was good enough and worthy enough,” Shaw said. “I was like, you know what? Even if it’s just for me and my kids, and I’m the only one who ever reads it, I just really want to bring what’s in my head out into the world and hold it.”
Shaw began taking watercolor classes at The Emerson Center for the Arts and Culture in Bozeman, where the characters came to life on the page. She completed paintings and uploaded her many versions to ChatGPT, then edited versions in Canva over and over until she was satisfied with the result—including the book’s main character Chloe, and her Grumpy Wumpus, a fluffy purple monster with a dissatisfied expression.
The Grumpy Wumpus will soon have a buddy. “The Wild Wumpus” is Shaw’s next book in a series of Wumpuses. A book launch for “The Wild Wumpus” will be held on June 20, celebrating the new character who struggles to contain their enthusiasm. Aptly named the Wild Wumpus Rumpus, the event in Story Mill Community Park will host family fun and activities. Shaw also looks forward to being a vendor at the Downtown Bozeman Art Walks at the Emerson in June, July and September.
Following stories will center on her youngest daughter’s Wumpus and Shaw’s own, giving families a way to confront difficult circumstances like grief and illness with their children.
