Ari Arranges Everything

by Katie Vernon

Empower young children to let go of control and to embrace a little chaos in this delightful and humorous picture book.

Ari arranges absolutely everything.

For as long as anyone can remember, Ari has loved arranging things. From blocks to flowers to produce to unicorn toys, each arrangement feels perfect—though maybe not for everyone. But when Ari sets out to create the ultimate arrangement at the zoo, things don’t go quite as planned. Will Ari finally figure out the secret to arranging (or perhaps not arranging) everything in this humorous and delightful story?

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens, Humor, Fiction

40 pages, Hardcover

Published February 21, 2023

Reviews

[Andrew · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ari loves to arrange everything. He needs it to be organized, so he arranges it.
What happens when Ari decides to arrange everything at the zoo? What could go wrong?

One of the hardest parts of growing up is accepting the things we cannot change (or arrange) and that its okay.
Katie Vernon does a great job of explaining this, while adding humor (i.e. the last straw made me laugh), with colorful, vibrant and nearly wild illustrations.

[Lupe · Rating 2 out of 5]

I bought this book with the idea that it would appeal to my OCD students but I'm not sure that they will gravitate to it. Also, the summary on the verso page is unnecessary in my opinion. "Ari, a gender-fluid child..." I do not believe in gender stereotypes but I was more concerned about this child being a positive role model for children with OCD or possibly Autism than thinking about their gender identity. It's odd to me. I hope my students read it for the illustrations and focus less on the vague message.

[Amy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm not sure I fully caught the vision of this story. Ari is a little boy who loves arranging things although his idea of arranging and organizing actually seemed really chaotic to me. Ultimately, he learns that not everything has to be arranged and some things can just "be". It could be a jumping place for children who might struggle with the idea of perfection or having to have everything perfectly arranged.

[Mary · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed the story a lot, as well as the illustrations. However, Vernon made it a point to have characters with different skin tones, which is great, but then added in bright pink and purple. It felt weird and contradictory to the point it seems was trying to be made (a diverse community).

[Jeremy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I suppose the moral of the story is that life is chaos/entropy, so you may as well chill out and crack a beer while you surrender to the inevitable unraveling of the universe.

This would be a good one for my stress cleaner of a boss.

[Elaine Fultz, Teacher Librarian, MLS · Rating 4 out of 5]

Neatnik kid (if it's OCD and anxiety, the text never really gets that across) organizes everything in their life until they run into stuff (zoo animals) that just cannot be controlled and arranged. Ari accepts that without fuss. Interesting, but not earth-shattering.

[Sandy · Rating 3 out of 5]

In this colorful picture book, a kid who loves to arrange things learns you can't control everything and to just relax. Includes diverse characters and illustrations with fun details. My anxiety-prone child thought the ending was too easy and not realistic, but I fould the story charming.

[Leova Manbhat · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ari arranges everything until one day, he realizes that it's okay that he doesn't.

[Aolund · Rating 3 out of 5]

A simple story about a child who loves to arrange things, but eventually comes to realize that some things cannot be arranged and that sometimes it's better to let things be as they are.

[Tracy Mabry · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful, sweet, and funny!
These illustrations are a dream!

[Molly · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's cute, and the illustrations are good. As someone who also valued symmetry and order as a kid, I don't think breaking free from that is quite as easy as Ari makes it seem to be.

[SamSamSam · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'm not sure this landed quite right, I didn't really get the point.

[Rupeshi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Arri is relatable for adults too! Lovely book about learning to embrace the messy.

[Chasity R · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed the vibrant colors.

[Sherrie · Rating 3 out of 5]

The illustrations were lovely but the story fell a bit flat. I’m not sure young readers would grasp the message.

[Lynn Davidson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ari liked to arrange everything possible to arrange, so he did that with many different things. He wasn’t sure other people liked his arrangements, though. When he headed to the zoo, having decided to arrange on a larger scale, he learned something important. Humourous illustrations.