Tidy

January 2, 2017
Pete the badger works ceaselessly as the forest’s cleaner-upper—early on, Gravett (Little Mouse’s Big Book of Beasts) paints him grooming a fox and giving an owl a sponge bath—so autumn, with all those untidy leaves, fills him with anxiety. He swings into action, and readers see him atop a mountain of leaf-filled trash bags. Now, the leafless trees bother Pete; he digs them up, and when that leaves a muddy mess, he paves it all over—“perfectly tidy and perfectly neat”—with disastrous consequences. There’s no suggestion of malice behind Pete’s actions; Gravett’s bouncy rhymes emphasize instead his single-minded devotion to his goal (“Pete called in the diggers,/ he called in the mixers,/ he called in the concrete,/ the rakers, the fixers”). In the background, the delicate leaves and gnarled trunks of Gravett’s forest testify to the beauty of nature just as it is. A die-cut cover whose openings reveal Pete among the trees underscores the sense of deep, luxuriant growth. Some may miss the dark humor of Gravett’s earlier books, but her message about environmental damage is delivered with the lightest of touches. Ages 4–8.

Starred review from January 15, 2017
How tidy can a forest become and remain a forest?Pete, a badger, is intense and intent on neatening his forest--no holds barred. "He tidied the flowers by checking each patch, / and snipping off any that didn't quite match." He grooms a dubious fox (using, hilariously, a hedgehog as a brush); he sweeps, scours, and vacuums; he brushes birds' beaks with toothbrushes. When autumn leaves swirl down, he bags them and stands atop the mountain of newly filled black plastic trash bags. A quick uprooting of every tree and a flood drop readers suddenly into a new visual world. Gone is the friendly vibe; gone are autumnal oranges and greens; gone is any background white space. In gray rain and murky brown mud, Pete's sharp black-and-white face and his red mop and bucket stand out, alien in the watery landscape. Still, Pete won't yield to nature. While excessive tidying isn't exactly industrialization or climate change, Pete's result--a concrete wasteland--invokes both. The rhyming verse regularly changes structure, reflecting the uncertainty of this environment. Artistic virtuoso Gravett wields her pencils, watercolors, and wax crayons (and a nifty, layered cover die cut) to create detail that's tender and sharp, with backgrounds both lush and quirky. This is an exploration of innocence, loss, the surrender of control, and--thankfully--the option of changing direction before it's too late. Alarming, timely, gorgeous, and open-ended, allowing readers the time to think for themselves. (Picture book. 4-8)

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January 1, 2017

PreS-Gr 2-Pete, a badger, realizes his obsession with neatness has gone too far when he experiences its consequences. Die-cuts leading to the title page show Pete depositing stray leaves in the trash. He clips nonmatching flowers, grooms a scruffy fox, bathes the birds and brushes their beaks, vacuums debris, and scrubs the rocks. He even collects fallen autumn leaves and puts them into hundreds of garbage bags. But the "bare and scrappy" trees still displease him, so he removes them all and solves the ensuing mud problem after a rain by paving the forest floor. Painfully aware that now he can no longer access his burrow or find food, Pete enlists the help of his woodland friends to restore their forest home. The brief rhyming text invites reading aloud, but Gravett's hilarious illustrations, rendered in pencil, watercolor, and crayon, make this tale shine. Pete's cleaning materials are everywhere, even stored in trees. A lineup of birds with toothbrushes await beak scrubbing. Forest animals flee their homes amid gray-filled scenes of devastation only to return to help in the restoration process and enjoy a picnic on a carpet of new spring grass. But alert readers will see that the ants and other creatures are taking steps to keep Pete from returning to his excessive tidying. What the badger hides behind his back, though, leaves room for doubt. VERDICT Youngsters will surely grasp the story's environmental message, but it is told with so much humor and charm that they will want to return to it again and again. A read-aloud winner.-Marianne Saccardi, Children's Literature Consultant, Cambridge, MA

Copyright 2017 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

December 15, 2016
Grades K-3 Deep in the forest lived a badger named Pete, / who tidied and cleaned and kept everything neat whether it's detangling fox's tail or polishing rocks, Pete is a diligent tidier. But after raking and bagging a mountain of fallen leaves, neatnik Pete decides the now-bare trees are unsightly and must go. Removing them, though, has unexpected, snowballing consequences when a rainstorm causes flooding that leaves behind abundant mud. Pete's solution? Cement over everything No mud / no leaves / no mess / no trees . . . This forest is practically perfect, ' said Pete. Alas, upon discovering his homeand foodis now inaccessible, he realizes his tidying quest may have finally gone too far. Fortunately, the other animals help restore everything, bringing both a happy outcome and a new perspective for Pete. Gravett's lilting, rhyming lines incorporate witty touches, while her enchanting, color-rich illustrations depict the forest setting, animals, and events with whimsical, scrutiny-inviting details. With a humorous narrative and charming artworkplus a playful message of moderation and the value of environmental conservationthis is an all-around delight.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2016, American Library Association.)