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Tidy
Pete the badger likes to keep the forest neat and tidy. But sometimes it's good to know when to stop!
40 pages, Hardcover
First published April 7, 2016
8 people are currently reading
712 people want to read
About the author
Emily Gravett
77 books277 followersEmily Gravett is twice winner of the prestigious Kate Greenaway Medal and the Nestlé Children's Book Prize Bronze Award for WOLVES and LITTLE MOUSE'S BIG BOOK OF FEARS. An author/illustrator of unique talent and tremendous skill, she has a host of critically acclaimed books to her name, including BLUE CHAMELEON, WOLF WON'T BITE! and AGAIN! Emily lives in Brighton with her partner and their daughter.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 300 reviews
May 14, 2019
A badger is obsessed with tidying. Removing dead trees and bagging up leaves, eventually he concretes over the whole place in his quest for tidiness. He then doesn't have a home so the animals help him to put it back the way it was.
The message is obvious but I don't see why an animal is the one making the problem. I would rather read a message about why a dead tree is good for wildlife or why we need leaves on the forest floor to children.
The message is obvious but I don't see why an animal is the one making the problem. I would rather read a message about why a dead tree is good for wildlife or why we need leaves on the forest floor to children.
August 11, 2017
Emily Gravett's Tidy is a whimsical story in rhyme with an important message and colorful illustrations full of funny and charming details:
Extra points for the great book deign, especially the cover with cut-out holes that create a 3D effect:
Extra points for the great book deign, especially the cover with cut-out holes that create a 3D effect:
May 10, 2018
A vibrantly illustrated and charming story that highlights the futility of asserting boundaries upon nature and battling for order in the outdoors. Perfection does not have to be tidy, and is all the more beautiful for being free to grow into its truest form.
A lovely story to share in any context, but particularly in looking at environmental issues and the constrictions that humans are placing upon the natural world.
A lovely story to share in any context, but particularly in looking at environmental issues and the constrictions that humans are placing upon the natural world.
October 2, 2018
Really charming book that explores the need to be in control of your surroundings (or perhaps of life in general?) I feel like it would resonate quite strongly with most adults whilst seeming funny or silly to children, but could be relevant to some. Ultimately the message is that it’s better to live in the moment and to share life with those around you, than to worry too much about how everything looks. The illustrations are lovely and the narrative is written in pleasingly rhyming verse, so I imagine this would be wonderful to read aloud.
March 10, 2017
So great to read a story where the message is that being overly tidy is not something to aspire to!
October 10, 2018
This book is such a fun read, I can imagine a KS1 class really enjoying the story, and it is a good way of opening up conversations about consequences and predictions.
August 24, 2019
After really enjoying Meerkat Mail, I decided to look at some of Emily Gravett's other work. Contrasting MM, this is a very simple story, most suitable for EYFS (but still wouldn't be out of place in a KS1 book corner). A badger named Pete loves to clean the forest - to the extent that he chops it all down and replaces it with concrete, so it can never get messy ever again. But he realises that he's gone too far - both he and other animals rely on the forest. Together, they re-build it, and from now on Pete decides that only the actual rubbish should be put in the bin.
It can inspire conversation about the environment and local habitats - keeping it clean for the animals, and letting the natural world thrive. It can also be related to the children's classroom environment and tidying that up - other animals relied on the same forest as Pete, and, similarly, other children rely on the same resources in school, so the resources should be shared and tidied away. Additionally, it's a very autumnal book - the leaves falling down inspire the initial clean-up, possibly enabling a link to seasons and animal/plant lifecycles.
It can inspire conversation about the environment and local habitats - keeping it clean for the animals, and letting the natural world thrive. It can also be related to the children's classroom environment and tidying that up - other animals relied on the same forest as Pete, and, similarly, other children rely on the same resources in school, so the resources should be shared and tidied away. Additionally, it's a very autumnal book - the leaves falling down inspire the initial clean-up, possibly enabling a link to seasons and animal/plant lifecycles.
November 6, 2017
What a gorgeous book, so funny yet with a clear message for children about the importance of enjoying nature without the need to control it.
The illustrations were beautiful and I love the autumnal feel throughout the book with all the oranges and yellow!
The story follows the cleaning antics of a badger called Pete who can't help but tidy everything that comes across his path (including some poor unsuspecting wildlife with apparently offensive grooming habits!), Pete eventually realises he's gone too far but can he fix the forest before it's too late?
A charming story with an important message!
The illustrations were beautiful and I love the autumnal feel throughout the book with all the oranges and yellow!
The story follows the cleaning antics of a badger called Pete who can't help but tidy everything that comes across his path (including some poor unsuspecting wildlife with apparently offensive grooming habits!), Pete eventually realises he's gone too far but can he fix the forest before it's too late?
A charming story with an important message!
August 16, 2017
As a neat freak myself, I relate too hard to TIDY. All of the modern cleaning products in Pete's natural habitat tickle me. But I like to think I wouldn't go to the extreme of paving paradise to put up a parking lot as Pete the badger does in this book. Gravett makes the obvious distinction between being productively tidy and being destructively tidy and, through hyperbole and irony, crafts a narrative that would pair well with a book focused on environmentally cleanliness and friendliness.
April 5, 2019
Pete the badger wishes the forest were tidy, until...
I gave this book to a Year One class as a leaving gift at the end of SBT. Their next topic is based around The Gruffalo with lots of exciting science themes of seasonal change and the natural world so I thought this book would engage with these well. Children were able to relate with the story through their forest school experience and the rhyming narrative makes it a joy to read out loud!
I gave this book to a Year One class as a leaving gift at the end of SBT. Their next topic is based around The Gruffalo with lots of exciting science themes of seasonal change and the natural world so I thought this book would engage with these well. Children were able to relate with the story through their forest school experience and the rhyming narrative makes it a joy to read out loud!
June 4, 2016
I'm a big fan of Emily Gravett's books (they're so fun and quirky!) and Tidy is no exception! Pete (a badger) is "slightly" OCD when it comes to tidying up - a little too much in this case! But he puts everything back to rights with the help of his friends.
October 13, 2018
A charming book which explores our desire to control nature and our surroundings. Packed with rhyming couplets and lots of lovely language it has a great read-aloud feel to it. The illustrations are delightful and endearing whilst the story sends out an important message- we must appreciate and enjoy the true beauty of nature without feeling the need to control it.
February 25, 2018
The illustrations are cute. But I'm not sure why the plot suggests that someone who likes to clean would suddenly be into deforestation. And I think the message children will get is, "Since it's possible to be too clean, I don't have to clean my room now."
January 2, 2019
I never thought I would ever relate to a badger but I can relate to Pete. Pete is a badger who likes things tidy but has to learn that sometime things are best left a little disorganized. Great book about letting go of what we think is best. Not everything has to be tidy.
February 17, 2018
This book is about a badger who likes everything to be to tidy and clean regardless of the impact this might have on him, the other animals that live in the forest and nature. The leads him to clean the animals, chop the flowers, hoover the forest and clear up the leaves that fell from the trees. However, he was not happy with the bare trees so went as far as digging up all the trees and cementing over the mud that was left. It was not until he realised that he had no home to return to that him and his animal freinds were to put everything back to how it was before.
Prior to Pete, the badger, tidying the forest an unusual amount there was use of autumnal colours which created a warm and natural environment. We also see a squirrel who has collected a pile of acorns and is hiding them away in a tree to supposedly return to at a later point. Both of these can highlight the importance of the natural environment and the impact it has on the animals that live there. The other animals that are seen in the picture appear to show fear and concern through the look on their faces as they see their habitat being destroyed or they are turned to the left side of the page indicating that they do not want the badgers journey to continue, possibly highlighting the harm to come. Furthermore, the second picture of the book is spread over two pages and has no frame which entices the reader to consider where they would put themselves in the book, however, there does not seem to be a clear spot where the reader could place themselves because of the cleaning equipment getting in the way. This could show the disruption the forest is going through. A further double page spread which is also without a frame is piled up high with bin bags. The colours are now very dark and dull and instead of it looking like the beautiful forest it once was it shows more resemblance to a landfill site. The badger is stood on top on the tall pile of bin bags which could show some element of power but in fact because of how small he looks stood on top of them it could be portrayed as him loosing control.
Once the animals worked together to get the forest looking alive and natural again they all enjoyed the pleasures that nature provided them with, such as eating worms and acorns.
Prior to Pete, the badger, tidying the forest an unusual amount there was use of autumnal colours which created a warm and natural environment. We also see a squirrel who has collected a pile of acorns and is hiding them away in a tree to supposedly return to at a later point. Both of these can highlight the importance of the natural environment and the impact it has on the animals that live there. The other animals that are seen in the picture appear to show fear and concern through the look on their faces as they see their habitat being destroyed or they are turned to the left side of the page indicating that they do not want the badgers journey to continue, possibly highlighting the harm to come. Furthermore, the second picture of the book is spread over two pages and has no frame which entices the reader to consider where they would put themselves in the book, however, there does not seem to be a clear spot where the reader could place themselves because of the cleaning equipment getting in the way. This could show the disruption the forest is going through. A further double page spread which is also without a frame is piled up high with bin bags. The colours are now very dark and dull and instead of it looking like the beautiful forest it once was it shows more resemblance to a landfill site. The badger is stood on top on the tall pile of bin bags which could show some element of power but in fact because of how small he looks stood on top of them it could be portrayed as him loosing control.
Once the animals worked together to get the forest looking alive and natural again they all enjoyed the pleasures that nature provided them with, such as eating worms and acorns.
January 9, 2017
A hilarious book about a badger with a big cleaning problem and what happens when things go out of hand.
I spotted this one at Library #3, at first I wasn't sure if it was this book, there is no title on my copy from the library, but I did recognise the art. When I got home to check, it was indeed this book! Yay! I have been meaning to read it for some time, but never could find it easily.
I laughed myself silly reading this one. I just could see what would happen to the forest, well OK I didn't totally expect that at the end, but I was close. :P Poor animals, I wonder why they didn't try harder to stop the badger. It was quite fun how it started with just cleaning here and there and then escalated to that.
The ending was terrific, though I can already see how things will go in the future. Good luck oh forest creatures!
The art was really great, and I love the colours + how the animals looked.
Plus points to the cover (which has a hole so it looks like you are looking through a tunnel in the forest and see the badger cleaning things up).
Review first posted at https://twirlingbookprincess.com/
I spotted this one at Library #3, at first I wasn't sure if it was this book, there is no title on my copy from the library, but I did recognise the art. When I got home to check, it was indeed this book! Yay! I have been meaning to read it for some time, but never could find it easily.
I laughed myself silly reading this one. I just could see what would happen to the forest, well OK I didn't totally expect that at the end, but I was close. :P Poor animals, I wonder why they didn't try harder to stop the badger. It was quite fun how it started with just cleaning here and there and then escalated to that.
The ending was terrific, though I can already see how things will go in the future. Good luck oh forest creatures!
The art was really great, and I love the colours + how the animals looked.
Plus points to the cover (which has a hole so it looks like you are looking through a tunnel in the forest and see the badger cleaning things up).
Review first posted at https://twirlingbookprincess.com/
October 27, 2019
J'ai adoré cet album qui aborde un sujet plus que jamais d'actualité et de le faire aussi bien. L'ensemble est ludique tout en n'hésitant pas à mettre le doigt là où ça fait mal. J'aurais tendance à dire que la finalité positive est là pour dire qu'il est toujours temps de revenir en arrière, de changer certaines choses pour que la situation s'améliore. Les illustrations d'Emily Gravett accompagnent très bien son texte, j'ai apprécié sa patte ainsi que son héros compulsivement méticuleux.
Mon avis complet : https://bloggalleane.blogspot.com/201...
Mon avis complet : https://bloggalleane.blogspot.com/201...
November 20, 2017
A comical and humorous book. Emily Gravett uses rhyming couplets throughout the book giving the book a great rhythm to read at! Although the text do not provide the reader with little information, the illustrations offer a deeper context. The book hints at how being overly helpful can sometimes be more harm than good. Worth a read nonetheless!
November 4, 2019
I really enjoyed this book about a little badger who loves to keep his environment tidy! It would be a great book to use in KS1 when teaching about rhyme, or in PSHE when learning about the environment and taking care of it. There are many learning opportunities with this story, as well as it being very humorous!
July 27, 2018
Another book I would not pick up, unless I had kids that is but another one which was required for me to read for uni.
I think it’s a great book for kids, engaging, lots of pictures and it was clear and simple!
That’s all for this one lovelies :)
I think it’s a great book for kids, engaging, lots of pictures and it was clear and simple!
That’s all for this one lovelies :)
October 9, 2018
Brilliantly engaging with vibrant illustrations. It carefully explores the need to be in control and organised at all times.
Promoting an essence of acceptance and enjoyment of nature and living in the moment.
Promoting an essence of acceptance and enjoyment of nature and living in the moment.
January 11, 2020
A beautiful book with an environmental message. Yes perhaps it's a bit too cutesy and badger blaming but it's a children's book and I hope in future it sparks a conversation with my little girl about the environment and what we can do to help.
March 22, 2017
A vacuum wielding badger lets his OCD get away from him and has to put it right. I loved it!
January 4, 2018
More twee than I expected from Gravett. In fact, in other hands it would be a two-star read, but she does have a bit of a 'magic touch.' And, of course, it's very earnest, almost preachy.
February 19, 2018
A great lesson for kids as to why you shouldn't tidy up so much. BE DIRTY!
March 18, 2018
4.5 stars Great story and fun pictures!
October 29, 2018
A book about the consequences of tidying all the time. Can transfer to morals about actions and consequences.
April 12, 2019
Message: not everything has to be neat, messy can be ok.
Links to how taking all the trees, leaves, plants and mud away can have a massive impact as the badge now can’t find good.
Links to how taking all the trees, leaves, plants and mud away can have a massive impact as the badge now can’t find good.
August 18, 2019
Loved the illustrations! Combing fox's tail with a hedgehog and the two bunnies wearing rubber gloves on their heads made me laugh so much!
September 28, 2022
The artwork was cute and I liked the rhyme — definitely fun for reading aloud! Moral of the story is that being overly tidy is not something to aspire to. I could relate to Pete the badger, as I too sometimes want to tidy a little bit too much.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 300 reviews