A Perfect Mess

June 1, 2016
Henry tries his hardest to stay clean for a special day at school.Henry, a boisterous, young rhinoceros, is very, very messy. Within the first two minutes of every day he is instantly covered in jelly stains and mud splatters. He just can't help it. But one day, Henry sets out to stay clean. For the entire day. He eats only white food, jumps over every puddle, and sits in the back of the room during art class, far away from any paint. Henry is achieving his goal, but his classmates aren't so lucky. Every time Henry narrowly misses a mess, he causes others to get dirty. That mud puddle that he jumped? It splashes his friend, the raccoon, instead. The jelly doughnut he avoided? It squirts onto his pal, the panda. Henry's careful watch over his clumsiness has assured that he remains spotless, but his friends--and even his teacher--end up covered in grime, all because of him. And why was Henry trying so hard to stay clean in the first place? Because it was class picture day! In the photo, Henry beams, unsullied, but the rest of the class is a sticky mess. Breen surrounds the impish rhino with smudges, spots, and brightly colored chaos, onomatopoeic expressions of clumsiness rendered in messy display type. The text reveals just enough to allow the pictures maximum humorous effect. A spirited way to explore both causality and not-so-clean fun. (Picture book. 3-7)

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July 1, 2016

PreS-Gr 1-It's hard to stay clean in a messy world. Henry the rhinoceros usually doesn't mind being adorned with grass stains, mud smears, and mustard drips. But one morning he inexplicably awakes determined to stay clean-all day. And while he does manage to remain neat for most of the school day, all of his attempts to do so backfire chaotically on those around him. It all happens on school picture day, with predictably comical results. Children will enjoy reviewing the catalogue of spills and blunders, particularly a page on which the sources of each of the multicolored splotches on Henry's body and clothing are identified with arrows. However, some of the busier scenes demonstrating a cause-and-effect chain of events may be harder for preschool children to follow. The cartoon illustrations, drawn with ink pen, watercolor, and colored pencil, are in keeping with the whimsy of the story, showing Henry riding the school bus and attending classes with the rainbow assortment of big-headed animals who make up his class. The spare text (one to two sentences per page) makes this a brief read-aloud, while the detail in the images allows for more perusal if time permits. The familiar school situations are relatable, and the underlying message-that it's okay to make mistakes-is reassuring. VERDICT This humorous tale with an antiperfectionist message will find an audience with preschool and kindergarten crowds.-Suzanne LaPierre, Fairfax County Public Library, VA

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