Being Messy

Help Me Be Good!

by Joy Berry

Help Me Be Good About Being Messy is a self-help book for 4-8 year old children. It deals with the behavioral issue of being messy and offers practical, down-to-earth advice on ways to overcome this behavior.

Genres: Childrens, Parenting, Picture Books, Nonfiction, Self Help

34 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1988

About the author

With over 85 million copies of her books sold, Joy Berry’s message has helped children around the world lead more responsible lives.

Joy Berry, pioneering educator, trusted child-development and parenting specialist, is the bestselling author of Joy Berry Classics for children with more than 250 titles and 85 million copies of her books sold. Joy Berry’s lifelong mission is to help kids help themselves by providing the information and motivation children need to lead responsible lives. Simply put, Joy Berry knows and understands children.

“Children should be 100% responsible for all of their choices and decisions by the time they are 12 years of age,” Joy Berry says. “In order for this to happen, parents need to encourage their children to make as many choices and decisions as possible as early in their lives as possible.”


Joy’s understanding of children and her pragmatic approach to educating and empowering children, has given rise to one of the most extensive juvenile product lines in the world.

Reviews

[R.J. Rodda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh yes! Teach your children why you should not be messy. Cute cartoons illustrate this very thorough children's book. My four year old found it amusing and said she learned not to be messy.

[Amanda Page · Rating 1 out of 5]

A family that seems set in making their child feel badly about being different, without any thought of possible strategies like body doubling or working through how to sort and tidy. Blame shame and guilt are awful change mechanisms, generally not resulting in a helpful outcome and likely dinging that child’s self esteem. Would not recommend.

[Nathan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great lesson.

[Kristen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I grew up on these books and absolutely love them! The Help Me Be Good books are great for young children. My children also loved them when they were young.

[Melissa Namba · Rating 2 out of 5]

This one is a little preachy and full of bullet points rather than the normal dialogue. The examples are good, but I'm not sure it will hold a child's interest because it is a bit pedantic.

[Belinda · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read this to my kids today, so far not much help

[Belinda · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this to my children, they found the subject was too simple. My youngest is 7.

[Kylie Abecca · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lots of great tips for both children and parents / guardians. I’m not sure how much this book would have changed my own bad bedroom as a child though. I was pretty bad

[Dawn · Rating 2 out of 5]

Felt bad for the kid since everyone was basically yelling at her. Not sure about others, but negative reinforcement doesn’t really work for me.

[Kim · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love all the Help me Be Good Books by Joy Berry. I had a couple handed down to me from my mom and I found a bunch of the series at a used book store and bought them all! My kids love reading them just for story night, but I also find them very helpful to read when we are having a problem with a certain trait.

Each book focuses on defining what the action is, how it makes people feel and what to do about it. It helps show the downfalls of being messy and how it can affect others. It's simple and quick and my kids love the little mouse or bunny character that pops up. The beginning shows what can happen when you do certain things, and in the end shows a much happier outcome if you try something different.

A Book About Being Messy gives good ideas of how to avoid being messy and what to do if you do make a mess.

[Leslie Fisher · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book. My kids have such a problem with being messy, and it is extremely frustrating. This book was really great because it explains what is considered messy and different ways of being messy, as well as showing the consequences to being messy, and offering solutions so that kids can stop being messy. My kids actually repeated the advice learned in the book to me, as they tried to put something away. This book is very practical, memorable, and easy for kids to understand. I think this is such a great series. I remember my parents having several books by Joy Berry when I was a kid, and I found them helpful as a child, just like I find them helpful as a parents trying to teach my children. I still remember a lot of the lessons I learned in these books as a child. I highly recommend this book, and the series as a whole.

[Jane · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Children's Book About Being Messy shows Annie making mess after mess and how it bothers other people, makes her life difficult when she can't find things and how dangerous it can be to leave a mess for other people to fall over. Good ideas for preventing being messy are given and praise for being neat to encourage Annie to avoid being messy. I love books that children can relate to and ones I can use to start discussions about how to improve the environment in our preschool classroom and at home.

[David Thompson · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book explains the importance of being clean and organized for children, and how being messy can negatively affect people around you. The book also gives tips for children to prevent messes and accidents.

[Laura · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book tells kids in easy language all about being messy and the problems it can create

[Kylie Abecca · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lots of great tips for both children and parents / guardians. I’m not sure how much this book would have changed my own bad bedroom as a child though. I was pretty bad.