The Messy Book

PreS-Gr 1—Cat has made a mess. When Dog suggests cleaning it up, Cat has other ideas. Cat proceeds to shove the mess aside, clearing the space it occupied. A page turn reveals the mess pervading a jungle scene, and an irate elephant pushes it back. Cat's next attempt to "clean up" lands the mess in the ocean, and the marine animals return a soggy mess. Every time Cat tries to take a shortcut to cleaning, he ends up with an even bigger mess. Finally, all the animals work together to put everything back in place. Once everything is in order, readers see that the animals have cause for celebration. The book ends after the party with another mess to clean. The digital illustrations start with a white background and a huge pile of multicolored bits. The simple text appears in speech bubbles, adding to the comic feel. Cat and Dog will be recognizable to any child and parent who have disagreed about the need to clean a room. "Please, please, PLEASE can we clean it up?/But cleaning is boring. We could hide the mess under my bed…or blow it up…or eat it." While the book allows readers the opportunity to talk about why cleaning is important, and could even be generalized to environmental issues, it is not heavy-handed.