Badger’s love of cleaning the forest quickly gets out of
hand in Tidy. This story is a
cautionary tale of how ones interest, or in Badger’s case obsession, can
quickly spiral out of control.
Badger begins innocently enough by grooming the foxes, giving
the birds baths and weeding the flowers.
When that doesn’t satisfy him he moves on to picking up sticks and
scrubbing rocks. Then summer gives way to
autumn and the leaves begin to fall…
Badger tries desperately to stay on top of the falling leaves,
picking them up one after another after another, until he’s removed every leaf
and every tree and he is faced with the complete destruction of his beloved
forest.
Lovable and misguided Badger finally realizes the error of
his ways and sets about restoring the forest to its original beauty. This light-hearted and fun story has a clear
ecological message that, with the help of author-illustrator Emily Gravett’s vibrant art, even young
readers will be able to see.
This book is perfect for sharing with preschool through
third grade.
