Tidy by Emily Gravett
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers (March 21, 2017)
Length: 40 pages
ISBN13: 9781481480192
Ages: 4 - 8
Synopsis
From the creator of Meerkat Mail and Dogs, comes a very funny rhyming woodland story about the perils of being too tidy.
Pete the badger likes everything to be neat and tidy at all times, but what starts as the collecting of one fallen leaf escalates and ends with the complete destruction of the forest! Will Pete realise the error of his ways and set things right?
Lush foliage and delightful characters abound in this cautionary tale of overenthusiastic neatness that delivers its message of environmental preservation with subtlety and humour. The freshness of the illustrations and the many comic details make this a very special book. Once you enter this forest, you'll never want to leave.
Emily Gravett's engaging woodland creatures will appeal to fans of such classics as The Animals of Farthing Wood and The Wind in the Willows and the rhythmic, rhyming text is perfect for reading aloud.
StoryWalk® Prompts for Tidy by Emily Gravett
Intro Sign (displaying book cover and the following information)
StoryWalk®
Have fun enjoying nature and talking with your child as you read this story together! There are discussion prompts and activity ideas on each post. Feel free to do one, a few, or all as you proceed through the StoryWalk®. Talking about stories together is a wonderful way to help your child become a reader!
The StoryWalk® Project was created by Anne Ferguson of Montpelier, VT and developed in collaboration with the Kellogg-Hubbard Library. Storywalk® is a registered service mark owned by Ms. Ferguson.
This project is funded through the Family Engagement Grant, a federal Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA) grant made possible by the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS), administered by the Pennsylvania Department of Education through the Office of Commonwealth Libraries.
Sign 1
Display book cover again
Welcome to this StoryWalk® of Tidy by Emily Gravett!
Prompt: The title of this story is Tidy. Tidy is another word for neat. Look at the little badger on the cover. What is he doing with that leaf? Travel on this StoryWalk® adventure to find out what happens when a badger gets carried away with keeping the forest tidy!
Sign 2
Pages 1-2
Text: Deep in the forest lived a badger named Pete, who tidied and cleaned and kept everything neat. He tidied the flowers by checking each patch, and snipping off any that didn’t quite match. He tidied the fox by grooming his fur, he untangled each knot and each twig and each burr. He tidied the birds, from the big to the small, by brushing their beaks and then bathing them all.
Prompt: There are a lot of rhyming words in this story! Rhyming words are words that sound the same at the end, like Pete and neat, patch and match, and fur and burr. Can you think of another rhyming word for Pete? Have fun listening for other rhyming words as you read together!
Sign 3
Pages 3-4
Text: He packed up stray sticks, he swept and he rubbed. He polished the rocks, and he scoured and he scrubbed.
Prompt: See if you can name the creatures watching Pete clean. How many did you find? Count them together!
Sign 4
Pages 5-6
Text: So, when a leaf fell, well…
Prompt: Remember that picture on the cover? What do you think Pete is going to want to do with leaves that fall? Travel to the next sign to see what happens next in the forest!
Sign 5
Pages 7-8
Text: No Text (Pictures of leaves falling everywhere and Pete looking up in dismay)
Prompt: Uh, oh! Look at Pete’s face. How do you think he is feeling? Travel to the next sign to see what he does about this!
Sign 6
Pages 9-10
Text: Pete tidied up. But still he wasn’t happy, now the trees looked bare and scrappy. And so, to make it all look neat, Pete undertook a MIGHTY feat…
Prompt: Look at Pete now! What did he do to tidy up the leaves? But he’s still not happy, and the author says he’s going to do a mighty feat. That’s another way of saying a big job. Keep going to see what Pete does next!
Sign 7
Pages 11-12
Text: He dug up every single tree!
Prompt: That really was a mighty feat, wasn’t it? Look at his animal friends. How do think they feel about Pete digging up all the trees?
Sign 8
Pages 13-14
Text: But then it rained. There was a FLOOD!
Prompt: Oh, no! How was Pete prepared for the rain? Travel to the next sign to see what happens next…
Sign 9
Pages 15-16
Text: And afterward, a LOT of MUD!
Prompt: Why do you think there was so much mud? Travel to the next sign to see what Pete does now…
Sign 10
Pages 17-18
Text: Pete called in the diggers, he called in the mixers, he called in the concrete, the rakers, the fixers.
Prompt: What do you think Pete is trying to do to the forest now?
Sign 11
Pages 19-20
Text: No mud, no leaves, no mess, no trees. Perfectly tidy and perfectly neat.
“This forest is practically perfect,” said Pete.
Prompt: Do you think the forest is practically perfect like this? Why or why not? Keep going to see what happens next for Pete and his friends!
Sign 12
Pages 21-22
Text: I’m hungry! he thought. I deserve a treat. So he hunted around for something to eat. But the beetles and worms that he usually found were under the concrete, deep in the ground.
And so Pete decided to go home instead; if he couldn’t have dinner, he’d go straight to bed. But when arrived and took out his key, there wasn’t a door where a door used to be!
Prompt: Uh, oh! Why can’t Pete get find any food or get in his house?
Sign 13
Pages 23-24
Text: Later that night, Pete tossed and he turned. His belly was empty, it rumbled and churned. As he lay in his mixer, wide, wide awake he started to think, “I have made a mistake!” So…
Prompt: It sounds like Pete isn’t happy about what he did to the forest. So, what do you think he will do now? Keep going to find out!
Sign 14
Pages 25-26
Text: The very next morning, when it got light, he set about trying to put everything right.
Prompt: Good for Pete! Everyone makes mistakes, and now Pete is trying to fix his. What is he doing first?
Sign 15
Pages 27-28
Text: Then the animals came - from the strong to the weak, and they lent him a paw, or a claw, or a beak.
Prompt: Now, what is Pete doing? How are his friends helping? Clap your hands if you think this is a good idea!
Sign 16
Pages 29-30
Text: They put everything back as it always had been. (But maybe less ordered - and not quite as clean.)
And Pete? Well, he promised to tidy up less. But if he succeeded is anyone’s guess!
Prompt: Hurray! Pete and his friends look happy now, don’t they? Look closely at the pictures. How are the ants trying to help Pete keep his promise?
We hope you enjoyed this StoryWalk® of Tidy.
Thank you for coming and sharing your day with Pete and his friends!
Five Extension Ideas for Additional Programming with StoryWalk® Selections
These ideas can apply to any of the books to engage families and extend the StoryWalk® experience for your community.
Resources for Tidy
Related Books
Bread and Jam for Frances by Russell Hoban (Fiction, a classic series) What’s Next? by Timothy Knapman (Fiction) What Are You Waiting For? by Scott Menchin (Fiction) Badgers by Mari Schuh (Nonfiction, Bullfrog Books: My First Animal Library)
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10 Fun Facts About Badgers
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Songs Badger, Badger (Sung to Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star) Badger, badger digging deep,
Little Badger’s Song (Sung to I’m a Little Teapot) I’m a little badger, look at me. |
Poems A Badger’s Day Badgers like to dig, dig, dig,
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