As an old man grumbles his way through a rainy morning, spreading gloom, his neighbor, a young child, spreads cheer while hopping through puddles in frog-themed rainwear.

When it is "backwards day," Judy must turn her usual sour mood upside down and be happy and nice for a change.

Does Jim Panzee want to go for a walk? No! How about having a playdate? No! Not even to eat a banana? No! Grumpy Monkey just wants to say "no." Sometimes it seems like the only word toddlers know is "no," and Jim is no exception.

Judy Moody cannot believe her ears. There at the lunch table, a girl called Amy Namey is interviewing Judy's best friends. Even worse, Amy is dressed like Nellie Bly, daredevil woman reporter. Is this girl with the rhyming name destined to be Judy Moody's new best enemy - - or new best friend? Judy finds some unexpected potholes on the path to friendship as Class 3T takes a tour of the globe, exploring everything from tooth-brushing sticks in Yemen...

Feeling too grumpy to fly, Bird begins to walk and finds that his mood changes as other animals join him.

Jim Panzee feels anxious. Porcupine is having a big party, and according to Jim's best friend Norman, there will be--gulp--dancing. Jim can DEFINITELY not dance. When he tells his friends, they all try to teach him cool moves--surely that's the only reason Jim isn't excited about this party! Now, their job complete, the other animals sweep Jim along, all the way to the dance floor. Jim is dipped, swayed, and twirled until he can't take it anymore--he...

"Jim Panzee is out for his usual Wednesday walk when he accidentally squishes his stress orange into orange juice. He and his friends must cross the jungle before all of the fresh oranges are gone"--

Third grader Judy Moody is in a first day of school bad mood until she gets an assignment to create a collage all about herself and begins creating her masterpiece, the Me collage.

When Judy meets Amy she finds they are so alike they are practically clones. Will Amy Same-Samey turn out to be Judy's new best friend? Will Judy remember her old best friends?

"A young elephant sees his dad is in a bad mood and tries to cheer him up, not realizing his own mischief caused the bad mood in the first place"--