Fix This Mess! (I Like to Read Books) by Tedd Arnold

I Like to Read

by Tedd Arnold

Key Features Description Robug tries to obey when Jake instructs it to "Fix this mess!" but somehow manages to make things worse. Robug tries to obey when Jake instructs it to "Fix this mess!" but somehow manages to make things worse. Product Details Item #: NTS568258 9780545682589 Paperback Book 24 Comedy and Humor, Science Fiction Pre-K - 2 Lexile 170L Guided Reading GR Level G DRA 12 ... ACR 1.1 Show Less Show More Key Features Item #: NTS568258 9780545682589 Paperback Book 24 Comedy and Humor, Science Fiction Pre-K - 2 Lexile 170L Guided Reading GR Level G DRA 12 ... ACR 1.1

Genres: Picture Books, Robots, Childrens, Humor, Storytime, Fiction, Science Fiction

Hardcover

First published January 1, 2014

About the author

Tedd grew up with three brothers. His family lived on a farm in Pennsylvania for several years then returned to Elmira until Tedd was ten years old. His father's work then required that they move to Gainesville, Florida. There, Tedd's first art lessons in an abandoned dentist's office over the Happy Hour pool hall eventually led to a fine arts degree from the University of Florida.

He and his wife, Carol, started their family in Tallahassee where Tedd worked as a commercial illustrator. Carol, a kindergarten teacher, drew Tedd's attention to children's books. Their first son, Walter, inspired his breakthrough picture book, NO JUMPING ON THE BED!.

He and his family now live in Elmira. His second son, William, now stars in NO MORE WATER IN THE TUB!, a sequel to his first book. He has now published over 50 books as author and illustrator.

Reviews

[Peter]

I won't lie: this book is much funnier when you read Robug with a Dalek's voice.

[Raquel (Silver Valkyrie Reads) · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a fun little story. Not a personal favorite, but passed the 'makes a good gift for nieces and nephews' test.

No content concerns for any age.

[Sunah Chung · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jake purchased a ROBUG (Remote Operating Basic Utility Gizmo) to clean up the mess in his place. But, Robug is a robot and understands the order “Fix this mess” to literally fix it and put other stuff in the other place. For instance, instead of cleaning up wastes and trashes which are piled up on the table, Robug makes the table fixed and cleaned, and then he piles the garbage on the next furniture. In the end, Jake takes charge of cleaning his place the ways he wants Robug to do.
Through use of bold line illustrations and the storyline, children will enjoy this book. Young children may not want to clean up their rooms and wish to have a fancy robot to do the work for them. Unfortunately, Robug is not the one who grants Jake’s wish. I hope young readers learn that they are responsible for their rooms and environments after reading this picture book.

[The Brothers · Rating 4 out of 5]

A dog gets a R.O.B.U.G. (remote operating basic utility gizmo) to do the cleaning around his house. Unfortunately the R.O.B.U.G. just moves the mess around instead of cleaning it all up. The R.O.B.U.G. figures out the best way to get the mess cleaned up (spoiler: he makes the dog do it).

Tedd Arnold illustrations are always a bucket o' fun!

[Amanda · Rating 5 out of 5]

As a mom of a rambunctious toddler I can fully empathize with this robot. Haha I tell my son to pick up his meds and he often just moves the stuff into a meeting space like the robot did. That means I am like the boy in the book who just ends up doing it himself. I hope the book helped teach my son that it is better to clean up after yourself though.

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jake orders himself a ROBUG to clean his house only to have the ROBUG just move around the mess. Eventually, Jake learns there's no getting out of your responsibilities. It's a fun little story that may or may not go over the heads of the intended audience, depending on their personal experiences. (Do their families make them clean their rooms and do chores?)

Still, a fun group read aloud!

[Amy Lafleur Meyers · Rating 3 out of 5]

Jake the dog gets a robot, Robug and asks him to clean his messy room. Jake soon finds that having Robug "fix this mess" isn't quite what he expects. Funny book that is full of repetition of "Fix this mess!"

[Jessica · Rating 2 out of 5]

Jake gets a Robug to clean his house, but every time Jake says to fix this mess, Robug makes a mess somewhere else. Eventually Robug makes Jake clean the house. I'm not really sure what the point of this book was.

[Amy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another robot book that my 3.5-year-old son is OBSESSED with. Quick read. Hilarious (to him). I think we read it to him 7 times the first day we brought it home from the library.

[Anthony · Rating 3 out of 5]

Jake buys Remote Operating Basic Utility Gizmo (ROBUG) to clean the mess in his house, but ROBUG makes a bigger mess. Jake soon discovers its best to clean your own mess that you made.

[Stephanie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Meh, it's alright. It reminded me of a mom. Always cleaning up. Always. Then one day just snaps and tells her kids to do it themselves. But in the form of a robot.

[S · Rating 4 out of 5]

Repetition helps and this one will get you some great sight words and a terrifying bug monster robot thing.

[Janis Kay · Rating 4 out of 5]

Comical way of telling kids "if you want something done right, you've got to do it yourself" LOL

[Dede · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a really cute book. My grandson wanted to read it over and over. I would definitely recommend this book!

[Kelsey · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was pretty cute, with a nice message at the end about cleaning up your own messes.

[Kelly Anderson · Rating 3 out of 5]

*Very* Simple, but I love seeing Robug get significantly more upset as the story goes on. And the ending is great. 👏🏻

[Lisa]

Could be good at lunch time.

[Jennifer Heise · Rating 4 out of 5]

A cute little twist on the 'if you want it done, do it yourself' rule of cleaning up after yourself.

[Heather Jo · Rating 4 out of 5]

megan fall reading 2016, children's book, picture book, mess, robots, responsibility, clean-up, prek, kindergarten, first grade, second grade,

[Paula · Rating 3 out of 5]

Jake the dog sees Robug as the answer to a clean and mess-free house. But Robug (Remote Operating Basic Utility Gizmo) the cleaning robot does Jake’s bidding too literally. When Jake asks him to "Fix this mess!", Robug’s refrain, "I will fix this mess!", results in merely moving the dirty clothes, old candy wrappers, etc. to another locale. After several tries to get it right, the mess ultimately ends up on the roof, and then Robug firmly takes charge and makes Jake clean the mess himself. The unassuming and glib text is matched by Arnold’s familiar humorous artwork. It is a great choice for reading aloud and youngsters will no doubt start chiming in on the repetitive refrain. The premise of this funny tale is relatable to any youngster faced with the prospect of cleaning his room and wishing for a magical solution. Fly Guy fans will no doubt enjoy this outing and it would be a worthwhile addition to any library.

[Kristi Betts · Rating 4 out of 5]

Tedd Arnold, the genius creator of the Fly Guy series, has written Fix This Mess! as part of the Holiday House I Like to Read series of books for emergent readers. The book has been evaluated and assigned a Guided Reading Level of D based on the Fountas and Pinnell system. With his vibrant colors and fun caricatures, Arnold brings to life a fun story of about ROBUG (Remote Operating Basic Utility Gizmo). Jake, the dog needs a mess cleaned up and expects ROBUG to "fix this mess". Jake's plan does not come to fruition the way he thought it would in this story with repetitive short text, familiar vocabulary, and illustrations which will help beginning readers make predictions.

Books in the I Like to Read series meet the Common Core State Standards in Reading Standards for Foundational Skills and Literature. There are currently 59 titles in the series. Reading levels range from B to E.

[Teresa Bateman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ted Arnold's bright, bug-eyed illustrations are the true stars of this story of a sort of robovac gone amok. Jake turned on the Robug with the expectation that it would clean up his messes. Instead, it merely transfers his mess from one spot to another, accumulating more stuff as it goes along. In the end, Jake learns a valuable lesson about who has to clean up the mess. The text is very simple, making this an easy reader. The pictures carry the humor of the story--it's amazing how many expressions that robug can have! Young readers will find this a fun book, and will want to read it again and again.

[Shelli · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved the mini-review on the back cover: “If you like to read, you will like this book.”

This is another fantastic easy reader picture book from the always fabulous Ted Arnold, Co-King of Marking Reading Fun for Young Readers (a crown he shares with Mo Willems). Jake is a lazy slob of a boy? dog? , who ordered an R.O.B.U.G. to clean his home. R.O.B.U.G. does as requested but not the way Jake had envisioned. Much silliness and colorful illustrations follow that will give kiddos a serious case of the belly giggles.

[Colette · Rating 3 out of 5]

Love Tedd Arnold! I know we all feel like this from time to time when cleaning up just about anything, or we know kids who clean their room in the same manner! And who hasn't been disappointed in an advertised product once the packaging comes off? Mr. Arnold has hit the nail on the head with this little gem. Jim had a new toy to clean up his messes, and tells Robug to "Fix this mess!" But the mess just keeps moving, and becoming worse as it goes. Finally Robug has had enough and Jim is the one doing what he should have in the first place.

[Heydi Smith · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a great book for older story time kids. The boy (ie. dog being) gets a robot and wants him to clean the mess, but he doesn't say clean the mess he keeps saying fix the mess, so the robot goes around moving the mess from the place where the boy points. At last the boy does it himself.

I would ask the kids, how could the boy have asked differently to get the results he was after?

[Diane · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Robug came in a box."

This Remote Operating Basic Utility Gizmo is supposed to help Jake clean up his messes. But in cleaning one area, Robug leaves another area in chaos. With growing frustration, Robug finally figures out how to fix the problem.

As always, the illustrations are wonderfully and humorously detailed (I love the cat's growing misfortunes).

[Samantha · Rating 3 out of 5]

A beginning reader title that features an all-purpose robot and the mighty messes it makes trying to obey its owners commands to "Fix This Mess!"

A funny premise set against digital artwork, this title would be a great read aloud for PreK-2.

[Naomi · Rating 2 out of 5]

I can see pre-school boys loving this book. To me, it was kind of boring. I didn't feel that it was anything really special and that there are more adorable books out there in this age range/reading level.

[Vicki · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love Tedd Arnold and his lovely "bug" eyed animals/humans/creatures. A great story that basically says if you want something done right, you might just have to do it yourself! Nice repetitive phrasing to help young readers.

[Marguarite Markley · Rating 4 out of 5]

This one made me laugh out loud. Tedd Arnold definitely illustrates characters with emotion. This is my favorite of the new "I Can Read" books that are sized and illustrated like picture books, but written for beginning readers.