The Legend of Messy M'Cheany

April 11, 2011
The eponymous antihero makes Pigpen from Peanuts look like a neat freak. Not only is he "the messiest kid in town," he's also gauche and gross: "If he rode a scooter, he'd run over your toes./ He'd toot like a turkey, then he'd pick his nose./ Look, Ma, GOLD!" When his world is "girl'd" with the arrival of little sister Missy ("All pink and fluffy and powdered and clean"), Messy tries to bring Missy over to the dirt side, only to discover that he's powerless against the civilizing forces of femininity. (Falling to his knees, Messy declares, "I know I've lived the life of a bum,/ But Missy, you've taught me what I could become.") Although the premise feels lifted straight from a Judd Apatow movie (or a G-rated facsimile), it's actually based on a mock-western ballad from Gifford's 2001 kids' album, Party Animals. Alexandersen (who collaborated with Gifford on a 2010 picture book also derived from the album) contributes some spirited cartooning, but even his exaggerated characterizations can't entirely disguise a story line that's an unabashed throwback in terms of gender roles. Audio CD included. Ages 4â8.

April 15, 2011

In this pointless parable of the sexes, Victorian gender roles—portrayed as inborn—compete with poor scansion for the most awkward element. From sentence one, the verse forces words where they don't fit: "Come on, children, gather 'roun', / And I'll tell you a tale of the worst kid in town." Messy M'Cheany revels in chaos and dirt. He tornadoes through life, happy and sometimes funny—"His mother would bathe him, then put him to bed... / And somehow he'd wake up with dirt on his head." Then a baby sister arrives, "pink and fluffy and powdered and clean" (really?), and becomes the voice of tidiness. "Messy tried to teach Missy how to be dirty, / But she only liked to dress up and be purty." Using curtsies and manners, Missy wins their Wild West showdown: "Messy said 'Never.' / Missy said 'Please.' / And that 'please' brought Messy to his knees." Morality's on her side—Messy was "a bum" before. Lest readers see individual characters rather than generalized sex roles, the text cements gender's yoke: "Messy thought he was king of the world / Till one day he discovered his world had been 'girl'd.' " A full faux-Indian warbonnet (as costume) adds racial stereotype. Alexandersen's cartoonish illustrations are energetic but forgettable. The egocentric ending—"Missy M'Cheany grew up to be... ME!"—panders to Gifford's adult fans. Skip. (CD unheard) (Picture book. 4-6)

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August 1, 2011

K-Gr 2-In a singsong rhyme, Gifford tells the story of the messiest kid in town, who is legendlike in his ability to create chaos. Messy M'Cheany spills food everywhere, overturns the fishbowl, farts and then picks his nose, and has a limitless talent for attracting dirt. His parents think he's cursed, but things start to change for the cleaner when baby sister Missy arrives. She is saintlike in her desire to be clean, neat, and speak politely. "Messy burped and wouldn't say sorry./Missy said, S'cuse me, see you tomorry.'" In a final showdown, Missy shows mercy toward Messy and curtsies. It is her use of the word "please," though, that "brought Messy to his knees" and leads to his redemption. The accompanying CD contains two songs, including "The Legend of Messy M'Cheany." Unfortunately, this story works better as a song. In book form, the rhymes are often forced and awkward. The acrylic-and-ink cartoon illustrations are humorous, but overall this picture book is a marginal purchase.-Roxanne Burg, Orange County Public Library, CA

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