Patrick McDonnell’s newest picture book, A Perfectly Messed Up Story is scheduled to be released on October 7, 2014. But its already received some pretty impressive reviews!
The School Library Journal’s September 2014 issue says, “Beloved Mutts comic-strip illustrator McDonnell brings children a story of how sometimes the most perfect things can become…well, messed up. Louie sets out to tell his happy tale about skipping and singing when suddenly a jelly blob interrupts his cheerful narrative. This is soon followed by a peanut butter (yuck, the chunky kind!) mess. Louie is horrified that someone would treat his story so carelessly. As the mess builds, Louie becomes more and more anxious, until a really big mess causes him to give up. “I’m just a messy old book…no one will ever want, read, or love,” he cries. He soon learns a wise lesson; it is the story that makes the book, not the mess. Life is not without imperfections, and neither are stories. Classic McDonnell pen, ink, and watercolor pastels blend with mixed-media and crayon messes to make this untidy tale a victory for unkempt books everywhere. Keep calm, and read on!”
Kirkus gave it a starred review, calling the book, “A playful, funny and friendly treatment of anxiety and life’s unpredictable messes.”
And Publishers’ Weekly added, “Louie’s exaggerated reactions to the growing mess will trigger laughs with every page turn. Yet McDonnell … excels at reminding his characters—and readers—that it’s possible to keep it together even when life has jelly all over it.”
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