Teaflet and Roog Make a Mess

April 15, 2021
Grades 1-3 Siblings Teaflet and Roog are happy together in their cozy treehouse in Trelfdom, with Roog obsessed with making food and Teaflet devoted to looking after the local wildlife. They're preparing for their annual strawberry jam party when they receive a terrible message: the strict new "inspector of neatness" plans to review their treehouse tomorrow, and everything must be spick-and-span, animal-free, and polished to perfection. If they fail the review, they'll have to clean the inspector's house as punishment, which means goodbye to the famous party and all its fun! It's a lighthearted and often humorous story, cozily building a detailed world within our own. The visuals really steal the show, however, through a combination of watercolor illustrations and photographs of needle-felted figures set up in a meticulously crafted, small-scale world. There are charming little accent illustrations scattered throughout the text, and textures sometimes spill out of photos and onto the page. Readers will be delighted to make the trip to Trelfdom through this immersive, merry tale.

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May 1, 2021
In the land of Trelfdom, a trelf brother-and-sister duo must prepare for a cleanliness inspection from a strict inspector on the eve of a grand party. It's the 10th annual Strawberry Jam Party, and Roog's in a tizzy. As the cooking and baking expert, he's working hard to prepare all the tasty food--including cakes, pies, waffles, croissants, and more--for the celebration. His animal-loving sister, Teaflet, spends her time helping out animals in need, occasionally disrupting Roog's laborious kitchen work. So when a letter arrives announcing a cleanliness inspection from the very strict (and "marvelous"--also "humble") Inspector Maple, Roog twirls into distress. If Teaflet and Roog fail the inquiry, they'll have to clean Inspector Maple's house. "It's a disaster! If we're cleaning her house, we can't be having a Strawberry Jam Party," exclaims Roog. To calm her brother's nerves, Teaflet volunteers to clean their house ("top to bottom") while Roog readies for the celebration. Can the trelf siblings clean a house full of animals, pass the inspection, and host a grand Strawberry Jam Party in less than a day? Retro in its tone and aesthetics, Birdsall and Dyer's humorous, enchanting collaboration is a slice of whimsy with a scoop of jam-errific fun on top. Featuring wire and wool figurines, clay objects, and watercolor artwork, Dyer's contribution satisfies in pulling readers into Teaflet and Roog's world, a mishmash of critters, confetti, and cakes. Birdsall, meanwhile, opts for a conversational narrative voice that's like a mischievous and good-natured call for everyday adventure. Trelf characters have beige complexions. Quaint in scope, tremendous in flair. (Fiction. 5-10)

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