Franklin Is Messy

Franklin the Turtle

by Paulette Bourgeois

Franklin the turtle learns to tidy up in the series that inspired the much-loved TV show! In this Franklin Classic Storybook, our hero can count forwards and backwards. He can zip zippers and button buttons. He can slide down a riverbank by himself. He can even sleep alone in his small, dark shell. But Franklin is so messy that he can hardly ever find his things! This fixed-layout ebook, which preserves the design and layout of the original print book, features read-along narration by the author as well as music and sound effects.

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens, Animals, Kids, Canada, School, Fiction

32 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 1994

About the author

Born in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Bourgeois graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in Occupational therapy from the University of Western Ontario in 1974. She was a psychiatric occupational therapist for three years before deciding to focus on her writing. She studied journalism at Carlton University then worked as a reporter for the Ottawa Citizen and CBC Television. She became a freelance journalist in Washington, D.C. contributing pieces to Chatelaine, Canadian Living, Reader's Digest and Maclean's. She returned to Toronto in 1983.

In 2003, she became a Member of the Order of Canada and in 2007, she received an Honourary Doctor of Laws from her alma mater, the University of Western Ontario.

Reviews

[Kristina · Rating 4 out of 5]

Франклин се опитва да скрие разхвърляната си стая като премества вещите си от едно място на друго, но губи важни за него неща. Добър урок за деца, които не са големи фенове на подреждането

[Laura Gibbs · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book teaches a valuable lesson that many kids struggle with—keeping their rooms clean! Obviously it’s hard for many kids to take the time to do this but it definitely is important! Franklin’s room is so messy that he can’t find his favorite sword, and his mom tells him to clean his room at the same time. He is so eager to get outside that he shoves it all into his closet and/or into the corner and his drawers. He then goes out to play but can’t do as much without his sword. He gets home and goose comes over to get her puzzle but he can’t find anything-he even steps on his sword and breaks it when he’s looking! There seems to be a problem! So his mom gets him some boxes that they paint and label the boxes for him to keep different toys in and it really helped him keep his room clean. From then one, he was able to keep his things picked up!

I liked what this book taught kids-the value of keeping your room picked up-and gave kids/parents an idea to clean kid’s rooms that are having problems with it. I think it’s awesome that books like these can teach kids good lessons in fun ways! Thematically, you could use it in your classroom when talking about household chores or the value of these chores such as cleaning your room.

[Molly Robbins · Rating 5 out of 5]

Franklin books are always going to be a crowd pleaser for your class. I remember growing up reading these books. These books are great for children who do not enjoy reading as much, or students who many not be confident in their reading. These books are intriguing as well as efficient, especially for character building and reinforcement of good behavior. This book in particular deals with Franklin being unorganized. By the end of the story, Franklin is able to play because he found his toy he could not find before in his messy room. This teaches the students how important it is to stay organized. This helps us in every area in our life, and makes life a lot less stressful.

[Emily Mote · Rating 4 out of 5]

Summary:
Franklin has let his messy room become out of hand. When he breaks one of his favorite toys due to the mess, he finally realizes the importance of organization and staying neat.

Evaluation:
I love the Franklin series, and I love this book! All of the Franklin books present a valuable lesson for readers in an interesting and engaging way. Most children dread cleaning, but this book does a great job of explaining WHY it is important to clean, and makes it seem fun! The illustrations of Franklin books are top-notch. They contain much detail and many colors. This book will definitely be a part of my classroom library!

Teaching Ideas:
This book would be a great one to incorporate into a pre-k or kindergarten classroom to teach the importance of cleaning up, organizing, and being neat. It is important for students to pitch in to keep the classroom a neat and safe environment. I would read this book to the class, and then assign fun "jobs" for each of the students to help keep the classroom neat and safe. This would be a fun way to give the students a sense of leadership.

[Alireza Emami · Rating 4 out of 5]

ما که هرچی این کتاب رو خوندیم عبرت نگرفتیم ومرتب نشدیم

[Leigh · Rating 5 out of 5]

These books are great in the delivery of their messages. The illustrations are gorgeous and the narration is clear without dumbing too much down.

[Heidi · Rating 4 out of 5]

My boys enjoy these books and I like that they have a lesson in them.

[Darinda · Rating 3 out of 5]

A book in the Franklin the Turtle series. Fun and cute.

[Ruth · Rating 5 out of 5]

love these books

[Kelly Chester · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a great book

[Kelly · Rating 3 out of 5]

We are reading some of the Franklin books with my 5 year old and I have really enjoyed re-visiting them. I loved these when I was her age!

[J.B. Mathias · Rating 3 out of 5]

Love the artwork in this one especially

[Danielle · Rating 3 out of 5]

I definitely remember reading this as a kid, probably because I have also always been a very disorganized person.

[Rachel Boatright · Rating 4 out of 5]

There are so many Franklin books out there and they teach so many valuable lessons. In this book Franklin had a hard time finding things because he became so messy. His mother said that he should clean his room if he wanted to find his things. Franklin thought that he had more important things to do so instead of cleaning he just shoved everything into his closet. He realized when things are being ruined and nothing is where it belongs he decided to clean up his room when he realizes that everything has a place and now he can find his things. Keeping things clean is hard for kids in their room or even in the classroom this would be a good book to read to the kids. As a teacher this could be a lesson on how to keep that classroom clean and to keep the class materials in good condition. The illustrations in this book are very bright and colorful and take up the page it is very eye catching popping imagery that will keep them wanting to see more.

[Anna J. · Rating 2 out of 5]

Franklin is Messy by Paulette Bourgeois and Brenda Clark is a story about a turtle that realizes the importance of keeping his room neat when he has trouble finding his toy sword to play “knights” with his animal friends. This book is a part of the Franklin book series. It is relatable in that many children at this age have trouble keeping their room clean. Scholastic recommends this picture book for children in kindergarten through second grade.

[Emma Horn · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book gets five stars from me because it is clever in the way it shows kids why their parents want them to clean their room. Franklin can’t find his sword because it’s buried and he steps on it and breaks it. Also, the illustrations are detailed and fun to look at.

Ideas
Organization

LEXILE: 350L
ATOS: 2.8

[Tricia · Rating 2 out of 5]

Title says it all. Franklin's messiness results in some problems from not being able to locate his play sword to losing items borrowed from friends in his overflowing room. The book's lesson is apparent when all items are neatly organized in boxes.

[Child960801 · Rating 4 out of 5]

I just don't like this one as much as some of the others.

edited 2025: I read this to the girls. I think what I probably objected to earlier was how heavy handed the messaging is in this one. This is clearly a book that you are to read to your children so that they will clean their rooms.

[Tam · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a good book to show kids that there are consequences for their actions. Franklin had a messy room and lost his favorite toy. The consequence was he stepped on it and broke it because of the messy room.

[Mhm Storytelling]

I haven't had a chance to look at this, but it might be good for the "What a Mess" theme. The summary says Franklin's room is so messy, he can't find his favorite toys. His parents have to pose a solution- room clean up.

[Airiel Owens · Rating 5 out of 5]

Poor Franklin can't find anything in his messy room! With the stern instructions from his mother, Franklin cleans his room up and finds how much easier it is to find things. Great to teach students responsiblity and cleanliness.

[Miri · Rating 3 out of 5]

Franklin's room is a mess, but he doesn't mind, that is until he needs to find his sword so he can play with Beaver and Bear, but his sword is nowhere to be found. In the end Franklin learns the value of a clean room, when he can find his things when he needs them.

[Lauren · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm sure my parents tried to get me to understand this concept when I was growing up. I don't think we ever quite figured out how to make me quite less messy, though. At any rate, Franklin was one of my favorites as a child, and I still enjoyed him as an adult!

[Rose]

E Bou

[Kristy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Really adorable illustrations and a cute story. :P This is my second Franklin book, and I think they're great for kids.

[Stacy Vance · Rating 3 out of 5]

My students loved the fact that an animal can be messy. We discussed how to keep our room clean.

[Andrea · Rating 3 out of 5]

Melanie is a Franklin fan.

[Karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Franklin learns there really is a reason for "all the fuss about messes." A great little book to teach the lesson to other little messy people!

[Liam · Rating 3 out of 5]

Franklin was very messy, but he learned how to be neat.

[The Brothers · Rating 3 out of 5]

Dexter (2 years old) loves Franklin. In this story Franklin learns that being tidy, while harder than being messy, is worth the effort.