Gravett, Emily Tidy, PICTURE BOOK. Simon and
Schuster Books for Young Readers, 2016. $17.99.
Pete the badger is a super tidy animal. He’s constantly washing up the other forest animals and brushing their fur. He makes sure all the flowers in the same patch match. He scrubs and polishes the rocks and sweeps up the twigs. When he goes on a tidying rampage, he takes all the leaves, then all the bare trees away. But then it rains and floods the forest, which causes a whole lot of mud. To take care of that problem, he pours concrete everywhere. But after that, he can’t get into his house. And he can’t find bugs to eat because the dirt is all covered up. He realizes he’s made a mistake, so he jackhammers all the concrete and all the other animals help to put the forest back the way it is supposed to be, with Pete promising to tidy up just a little less.
The general concept of this book is really cute, with quality illustrations as well. I just didn’t really see the point. I didn’t think it was straightforward enough for younger readers so that they could glean the real purpose of the book (Was it about the benefits of being tidy? Is it about taking care of the forest? Is it just a silly cyclical story and Pete will never really learn his lesson and just start all over again?) I needed more closure.
PRE-K, EL (K-3)- OPTIONAL. Reviewed by Shay, School Librarian
Pete the badger is a super tidy animal. He’s constantly washing up the other forest animals and brushing their fur. He makes sure all the flowers in the same patch match. He scrubs and polishes the rocks and sweeps up the twigs. When he goes on a tidying rampage, he takes all the leaves, then all the bare trees away. But then it rains and floods the forest, which causes a whole lot of mud. To take care of that problem, he pours concrete everywhere. But after that, he can’t get into his house. And he can’t find bugs to eat because the dirt is all covered up. He realizes he’s made a mistake, so he jackhammers all the concrete and all the other animals help to put the forest back the way it is supposed to be, with Pete promising to tidy up just a little less.
The general concept of this book is really cute, with quality illustrations as well. I just didn’t really see the point. I didn’t think it was straightforward enough for younger readers so that they could glean the real purpose of the book (Was it about the benefits of being tidy? Is it about taking care of the forest? Is it just a silly cyclical story and Pete will never really learn his lesson and just start all over again?) I needed more closure.
PRE-K, EL (K-3)- OPTIONAL. Reviewed by Shay, School Librarian
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