When Grover Moved to Sesame Street

When Grover Moved to Sesame Street (ISBN 0-307-12017-1) was part of the Sesame Street: A Growing Up Book series, published by the Western Publishing Company, under the Golden Press name. It was written by Jocelyn Stevenson, and illustrated by Tom Cooke. The story deals with the stresses Grover faces when moving to an apartment in Sesame Street, New York, New York.

Synopsis

Grover's mommy tells Grover that she has a new job, much to Grover's delight. The news remains upbeat to Grover when he learns he'll have to move to "a place called Sesame Street." He, his mother, and best friend Minnie pack for the move.

However, in bed that night, Grover is creeped out by his empty room, and starts to have regrets about the move. Grover experiences more shock on realizing that Minnie won't be moving with him and his mother, to which Grover's mommy consoles him with "after we are settled in our new home, Minnie may come to visit us."

Grover has obvious apprehensions about the move, even when unpacking in his new room. He finds it smells "funny", and sounds "empty".

Outside, on the steps of the apartment, he hollers "Hello, everybodee! Grover Monster is here. Where are my new friends?" Big Bird asks what the problem is, to which Grover replies, "I am crying because I do not have any new friends." Big Bird, a resident of the neighbourhood much longer than Grover, starts to cry with Grover, because he too has no "new friends". Of course, this is all a course of misunderstanding in the semantics of speech, as Grover means he has no friends at all, and Big Bird means that while he has friends, none are "new".

The two meet and greet each other, and quickly become friends. Grover then meets Cookie Monster, Betty Lou, Bert, and Ernie. They all take him on a grand tour of the neighbourhood, stopping at Hooper's Store, managed by David, and the Fix-it Shop, operated by Maria and Luis. They also stop at Oscar's can, where a rather pippy Oscar the Grouch shakes hands with Grover, and at Big Bird's nest.

On returning to the neighbourhood soda shop, Grover invites everyone to come see his new room, then exclaiming "I think I am going to like it here on Sesame Street." On the last page, as Grover makes this statement to his friends, Minnie and her mother are coming around the bend of the street.

In books following this, Grover and Grover's mommy are back in the suburbs, likely somewhere in New Jersey.