Tidy is a gorgeous little book - just book at it!! I had a giddy palpitation when I spotted it sticking out of the library shelf. Book feast!
Poor Pete the badger just loves tidying but one day he goes a little bit too far! His out of control cleaning has put the forest is in danger, everyone needs to roll up their sleeves if they're going to save it.
The illustrations are so vibrant, so natural and so tactile that I found myself studying each one. The tones and textures capture the feel of a forest perfectly. There's lots of fun quirky details hidden among the trunks and leaves that will make great talking points with older children. As do the changing colours, how long did it take Pete to clean the whole forest?
Unlike some picture books in which the illustrations merely show you what the text has already told you, Emily uses her illustrations to add lots of extra meaning, just look at Pete up on that digger! And what does rabbit think of all this?
It's not just the illustrations that make this book so special, it rhymes well and flows nicely. There are also several moments like the one above, short one word sentences in child friendly fonts making this very accessible for dyslexic readers. Aside from the practicalities Pete and his friends will make you laugh while making a very serious point about the need to look after our world.
This charming books is well worth adding to your home library, as much fun for grown ups as it is for kids - a rare quality!
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