Parents' Guide to

A Perfectly Messed-Up Story

By Jan Carr, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 3+

Cartoon character scolds the reader in funny tale.

Book Patrick McDonnell Picture Book 2014
A Perfectly Messed-Up Story Poster Image

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What you will—and won't—find in this book.

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What's the Story?

Louie is a young, expressive cartoon character who starts off his book tra-la-ing merrily across a field. But then -- oh, no! -- a big blob of something lands smack on the page in front of him. Louie sniffs it. It's jelly! "Who would eat a jelly sandwich while reading my book?" he asks, face front, clearly accusing the reader. "Plop!" A big glob of peanut butter covers Louie's face. As we turn the pages, Louie comes upon fingerprints and orange juice splatter, and he gets angry. "My story is all messed up!" Still, he decides to take it "from the top," skipping across a clean page, only to come upon crayon scribbles. "My story is ruined!" he wails. But then the narration starts again, prodding Louie to resume "skipping merrily along." He gets up, sees a clean page, and realizes "everything is fine," declaring resolutely, "Nothing is going to stop me!"

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say: Not yet rated
Kids say: Not yet rated

A PERFECTLY MESSED-UP STORY is lots of fun. Louie is an endearing cartoon character whose reactions to the obstacles he encounters are exaggerated and comic. When things go wrong, he acts out in the way we'd all like to. Kids will laugh at both Louie's overblown reactions and at the idea of the book itself, that it's getting more and more fouled with every turn of the page. Those bits of peanut butter and jelly aren't just small smears; they're big, gloppy blobs.

Kids will love being in on the joke, that there's a story within a story. And the book is topped off with a positive message: It's good to persevere.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about how kids feel when things go wrong. Do you ever feel that life is throwing too many obstacles your way? What can you do when that happens?

  • What is Louie's story, and what's the story that happens to the book? How are they different? How do they intersect?

  • Have you ever messed up a drawing or project and felt that it was ruined? Did you think of a way to fix it?

Book Details

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