Book excerpt: The Silent World of Mr. Grumblebee centers around Mr. Grumblebee, an ornery older man resistant to the changing world around him. He has a special disdain for the noise created in his energetic neighborhood. In a twist of fate, Mr. Grumblebee is granted peace and quiet when he loses his ability to hear. This unexpected change causes Mr. Grumblebee to wish for all the clatter that he had found so appalling back.