How Messy!

Lively, cartoonish read, about a young girl who is a stickler for precision and tidiness, and who finds living with her duck (don't dare ask) a nightmare due to the mess he permanently leaves behind. Can the two possibly find a happy balance? Of course they can; in the meantime this is amusing enough, visually energetic, and not too bad a look at compromises and acceptance of others. And rest assured, the book won't lead to too much damaging copycat behaviour should people decide to do as the duck does – but co-habiting with a duck might need discouraging.

How messy! is an adorable children's book which will make parents and kids laugh. It may even trigger nice and interesting discussions! Our main characters are Dot, a little boy, and his yellow duck. As they both wake up, everything seems fine but very soon the duck makes a mess in the bedroom, in the kitchen (as he is making pancakes for Dot), and everywhere he goes, including on the beach, where both friends have fun and realize it's not so bad, in the end, being a bit messy! Fun and lovable characters, nice illustrations, a book to share and read as a family.

What a cute little book about different preferences. Dot likes things tidy and neat, while duck doesn't care about that and instead finds beauty in everyday things. They go on a trip to the beach together, where each of them gets to understand the other's view on life. The illustrations are so precious and the story is fun. A very nice little book.

What a fun book. The illustrations are so cute. It has a great message and would be a great book for summer.

This books was just so cute and the illustrations were amazing. A sweet little read showing joe different personalities can still be friends! Dot and Duck show us that one persons “trash” be be another’s “art” during a day at the beach playing. Dot is very clean and tidy and Duck just goes on without paying much attention to the mess he is making. But in the end Dot learns it’s ok to be just a little bit messy. I loved this cute little story and the illustrations were perfect.

Dot is tidy, Duck is chaos. Can these unlikely friends get along? This fun, funny story offers a valuable lesson about meeting in the middle and appreciating people for their strengths.

Kids will love the humor, and the simple text and repeated refrain of "How messy!" make this a good introductory book for newly independent readers. There are lots of colorful adjectives and expressive interjections to help build vocabulary. The watercolor-style illustrations are lively and complement the story well. This would be a great circle time read for pre-K and a wonderful addition to school and classroom libraries.

Many thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review!

The illustrations and the presentation of this cute picture book reminds me so much of Calvin and Hobbes. Dot and Duck are besties too!

This book will encourage the kids to tidy up and not make a mess.

I love how this concept is told with such a cute little story with a duck and a little kid.


Thank you, Quarto Publishing Group - Frances Lincoln Children's Books, for the advance review copy.

I’m a big fan of children’s book illustrations and Dot and Duck have been amongst my favourites for a while. The characters of the girl Dot and the duck, well, Duck are so endearingly drawn and coloured in and they complement the stories to perfection.
This time, Dot and Duck are having a bit of a tiff because Dot likes everything neat and tidy and Duck is rather messy and chaotic. Duck leaves a trail of debris, be it in the kitchen or at their trip to the beach. But in the end they compromise and find that both their attitudes bring something to their lives.
Apart from being utterly charming, this story (and all Dot and Duck stories) can also be a valuable tool to educate little people.
Rock on, Dot and Duck!

Opposites attract in this dialogue only picture book about Dot and Duck. Dot loves being tidy but Duck is very messy. Will the two ever learn to compliment each other.
This is a funny but heart-string tugging text and a great example of less is more. The repetitive words structure the story but the pictures by Olivier Tallec say so much more. Look out for some priceless facial expressions and I LOVED the wordless spread where Dot drags Duck outside.
The beach is the perfect setting for the second half of the story to play out. How can you not get messy on the beach and yet not have fun? There's a lovely moving moment of kindness from Duck, highlighting that mess can be made through the kindest of actions and the warmest of people. The twist at the end is hilarious and then it ends on a gorgeously satisfying note. This is true art - a perfect blend of words and pictures that has created something truly timeless, funny and something that will never grow tired.

A place for everything and everything in its place!
A quaint little book about how some people like things neat, while others prefer them messy. What a wonderful book for young beginning readers. The illustrations are simply adorable and very fun loving.

If your children like Sasha and the Bear, they are sure to love this short tale.

Grateful to have received a digital copy of this book from NetGalley & Quarto Publishing Group.

How Messy is a cute picture book about a little girl and her friend, a duck. Dot likes things neat and tidy and Duck likes things messy. The story follows their day together as Duck creates more and more mess and Dot reminds duck "a place for everything, everything in it's place". It also reminds readers that there is a time for messy and a time for neatness and that we can find a balance because something making a mess is fun, but cleaning it up is important too!

The illustrations are beautiful and the background is plain white. The black font is fairly large and accessible, with short sentences, usually 1-2 per page. There are also some wordless pages where the illustrations continue to tell the story. There are also lots of expressive text features like onomatopoeias such as "slip", "smash" or "splash". This book would be great for shared reading with young children or independent reading for young readers who are ready to start trying short picture books on their own. I would recommend this book for children in the age 3-6 range. Thanks so much to Netgalley and the publisher for giving me the opportunity to read and review this sweet book!

Reality is a funny thing, we see what we are looking for. Dot loves things neat, but sees everything around Duck as a mess. But "What's wrong with a little mess?" wonders Duck.

They can't settle it over breakfast, so they go to the beach. After another disagreement (all friends disagree sometimes), each creates a work of art. But an accident gives the friends a new perspective, and they decide to create a masterpiece together...

Then the ocean reminds them where they are, and why they are friends!

A delightful story of very few words, illustrated with humor (and exaggeration), that will bring a smile to readers time after time. This is a wonderful children's book, and would make a fun gift for a friend of any age!

5/5 Stars

Thanks to Quarto Publishing and Happy Yak, and NetGalley for the ebook pdf; the review is voluntary.

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This is a laugh out loud story with vibrant, colourful illustrations. Dot and Duck are best friends - Dot is tidy, and Duck is definitely not! Everyday activities lead to chaos and mess, but a day at the beach brings compromise and a surprising end to the day. Lovely to read aloud!

I received an electronic ARC from Quarto Publishing Group – Frances Lincoln Children's Books through NetGalley.
Duck and Dot are friends who share a home. Dot is neat; Duck is more messy. Readers see how frustrated Dot gets with the messes. Welsh offers enough humor to balance the point of finding compromises and ways to get along.
Terrific for younger readers and families to talk about cleaning up and still appreciating creative uses of materials.