Plenty of Pockets
The ultimate messy-room story.
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A Lot or a Little?
The parents' guide to what's in this book.
What Parents Need to Know
Parents need to know that cartoon people and mixed-media collages hold viewer interest. Children turn the book to read meandering text. There are lots of interesting images to point at and talk about in this over-the-top tale.
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What's the Story?
When Henry and Henrietta can't find Junior right there in the living room because there's too much clutter, something's got to give. Dad sews lots of pockets, and they put away their mess. Whoops! They lost the sofa, and must empty their pockets in the yard. This ultimate messy-room story keeps kids chuckling.
Is It Any Good?
This is the ultimate messy-room story! One kid thought he could hide all his stuff in his own jeans and set out to prove it by pocketing everything but this book, which he read again. Henry, it must be granted, has a novel idea about sewing pockets all over his and his wife's clothes. There's even a pocket to hold Junior, and Max, the pygmy hedgehog. The story's unexpected twist -- a yard sale -- gives a great suggestion for solving the clutter predicament.
The people and objects are cartoonlike. The collaged photographs spread throughout create eye-popping pages: What a surprise to find a real-looking baseball in a cartoon tree! The book design is inventive, with its shaped text and with oversized, fold-out pages highlighting the parent's fun-filled pockets. The endpapers, designed with sewing-machine stitches are a nice touch.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about clutter, tidiness, and various systems for keeping things organized. In the story, Henry has a truly original idea for restoring order to the house. Can you think of some creative ways to help eliminate messiness and maintain a neat space?
Book Details
- Author: Ann Braybrooks
- Illustrator: Scott Menchin
- Genre: Picture Book
- Book type: Fiction
- Publisher: Harcourt Brace
- Publication date: January 1, 2000
- Publisher's recommended age(s): 4 - 7
- Number of pages: 34
- Last updated: July 12, 2017
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