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A Perfect Mess
Readers who love Olivia and Little Elliot, Big City will fall head over heels for this sweet little rhino who always makes a big mess
Henry McHenry is one messy rhino, but he tries his best to stay clean for a very important day. He jumps over a mud puddle (and splashes his friend), passes on a gooey jelly donut (just in time for a glob to land on his neighbor), and even manages to shake the ink from his leaky pen (all over his classmates). And while Henry is still neat and tidy at the end of the day, his classmates are anything but . . .
This irresistible school story from Pulitzer Prize–winning cartoonist Steve Breen is all about finding happiness in imperfections and being yourself . . . especially on class picture day!
Henry McHenry is one messy rhino, but he tries his best to stay clean for a very important day. He jumps over a mud puddle (and splashes his friend), passes on a gooey jelly donut (just in time for a glob to land on his neighbor), and even manages to shake the ink from his leaky pen (all over his classmates). And while Henry is still neat and tidy at the end of the day, his classmates are anything but . . .
This irresistible school story from Pulitzer Prize–winning cartoonist Steve Breen is all about finding happiness in imperfections and being yourself . . . especially on class picture day!
32 pages, Hardcover
First published August 23, 2016
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 33 reviews
March 22, 2017
Henry finds it difficult to stay clean but today is a special day, he's taking school pictures and needs to look his best. As he attempts to stay clean throughout the day though, there is an unfortunate side effect, he gets everybody else dirty. There's paint, jelly doughnuts, and so many other ways to get dirty. Will Henry be able to take his class picture or will he just get dirty? Cute story about how sometimes the things we're worried about turn out to not be as important as we believe.
July 17, 2016
Adorable! Parents and little readers will relate to Henry McHenry's struggle to avoid messes and stains throughout the school day!
January 11, 2017
Reviewed for School Library Journal:
PreS-Gr 1—It's hard to stay clean in a messy world. Henry the rhinoceros usually doesn't mind being adorned with grass stains, mud smears, and mustard drips. But one morning he inexplicably awakes determined to stay clean—all day. And while he does manage to remain neat for most of the school day, all of his attempts to do so backfire chaotically on those around him. It all happens on school picture day, with predictably comical results. Children will enjoy reviewing the catalogue of spills and blunders, particularly a page on which the sources of each of the multicolored splotches on Henry's body and clothing are identified with arrows. However, some of the busier scenes demonstrating a cause-and-effect chain of events may be harder for preschool children to follow. The cartoon illustrations, drawn with ink pen, watercolor, and colored pencil, are in keeping with the whimsy of the story, showing Henry riding the school bus and attending classes with the rainbow assortment of big-headed animals who make up his class. The spare text (one to two sentences per page) makes this a brief read-aloud, while the detail in the images allows for more perusal if time permits. The familiar school situations are relatable, and the underlying message—that it's okay to make mistakes—is reassuring. VERDICT This humorous tale with an anti-perfectionist message will find an audience with preschool and kindergarten crowds.—Suzanne LaPierre, Fairfax County Public Library, VA
PreS-Gr 1—It's hard to stay clean in a messy world. Henry the rhinoceros usually doesn't mind being adorned with grass stains, mud smears, and mustard drips. But one morning he inexplicably awakes determined to stay clean—all day. And while he does manage to remain neat for most of the school day, all of his attempts to do so backfire chaotically on those around him. It all happens on school picture day, with predictably comical results. Children will enjoy reviewing the catalogue of spills and blunders, particularly a page on which the sources of each of the multicolored splotches on Henry's body and clothing are identified with arrows. However, some of the busier scenes demonstrating a cause-and-effect chain of events may be harder for preschool children to follow. The cartoon illustrations, drawn with ink pen, watercolor, and colored pencil, are in keeping with the whimsy of the story, showing Henry riding the school bus and attending classes with the rainbow assortment of big-headed animals who make up his class. The spare text (one to two sentences per page) makes this a brief read-aloud, while the detail in the images allows for more perusal if time permits. The familiar school situations are relatable, and the underlying message—that it's okay to make mistakes—is reassuring. VERDICT This humorous tale with an anti-perfectionist message will find an audience with preschool and kindergarten crowds.—Suzanne LaPierre, Fairfax County Public Library, VA
November 4, 2017
Breen, Steve A Perfect Mess. PICTURE BOOK. Dial Books For Young Readers (Penguin), 2016 $16.99.
Henry loves to play and often gets messy. But for school picture day, Henry is determined to stay clean. In his effort to keep his clothes their best, he inadvertently makes it impossible for any of his classmates to remain clean.
As the picture is snapped and Henry's goal is achieved, his classmates reward him with a group hug and his once clean shirt becomes a perfect mess. This was such a cute story. Children will easily relate to the dilemma of taking the perfect picture for school and all the funny mishaps that can occur.
Pre-K, EL (K-3) --ESSENTIAL Gina, Media Specialist
https://kissthebook.blogspot.com/2017...
Henry loves to play and often gets messy. But for school picture day, Henry is determined to stay clean. In his effort to keep his clothes their best, he inadvertently makes it impossible for any of his classmates to remain clean.
As the picture is snapped and Henry's goal is achieved, his classmates reward him with a group hug and his once clean shirt becomes a perfect mess. This was such a cute story. Children will easily relate to the dilemma of taking the perfect picture for school and all the funny mishaps that can occur.
Pre-K, EL (K-3) --ESSENTIAL Gina, Media Specialist
https://kissthebook.blogspot.com/2017...
March 21, 2018
Henry is always a mess and usually doesn't mind. But for class picture day he tries very hard to stay clean. In the process, he ends up spilling or bumping into everyone else in the class, getting them all dirty and messy. He is perfectly clean at picture time until they yell group hug. Everyone is equally messy but that's ok. They are happy that way.
April 5, 2018
I liked this book because it is a cute story about always getting messy and one time trying not to. I would use this in my library as a read aloud to littler kids because it is a lighthearted story and this book could be used to talk about cleanliness and even talk about hand washing. This book was cute to read and very easy to follow, I would definitely use this in my library.
April 5, 2018
I enjoyed this book. It teaches students a lesson. It goes through about a rhino as the main character making messes all the time, except for a a special day. Even on his special day, picture day, the rhino makes a mess. I would use this as a lesson in my classroom letting students know that its okay to make messes.
October 27, 2020
Henry is a messy little rhino, he tries to keep his shirt clean for Tuesday because he promised his mom he would. In an attempt to stay clean Henry gets his whole class dirty even his teacher. But, Henry remains clean for picture day, until the class gives him a group hug.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 16, 2017
Very cute book with a fun twist!
February 24, 2018
Great thematic point and the illustrations are essential to making the story special. Had a great time discussing them with my little one.
April 5, 2018
Very fun book to read. Kids tend to make a lot of messes without even trying. Another book about friendship as well.
May 22, 2018
Cute...
August 6, 2019
3.5 stars
Very cute story.
Very cute story.
September 16, 2019
A little boy works very hard to stay clean for the class picture, but along the way manages to get every other classmate messy.
January 27, 2026
Probably buying this one for grandson.
February 3, 2026
A normally messy rhino tries to stay clean all day and ends us getting everyone else dirty before the class picture.
February 28, 2018
I gave this book a three star rating because it is a short story about Henry who is trying as best as he can to keep himself clean but ends up getting the rest of his class dirty.
AR level: 2.2
AR level: 2.2
October 9, 2016
All teachers know a student who seems clumsy and perpetually smudged, and most of these students are as likable as Henry when they try so hard to make things right.
Color illustrations are a tad washed out, which may work well to show the smudges and dirt as slight messiness.
The text font is also a bit pale but the shakey shapes pair well with the smears and smudges.
Color illustrations are a tad washed out, which may work well to show the smudges and dirt as slight messiness.
The text font is also a bit pale but the shakey shapes pair well with the smears and smudges.
February 14, 2017
Summary:
Henry McHenry, a very messy little rhino decides one Tuesday morning that he would agree to staying clean. With his nicest shirt, all fresh and clean, he wasn’t going to take any chances. So he ate his breakfast with a bib and his mom even gave him some wipes to bring to school. From jelly donuts to paint, he dodged and jumped all day long and he never once made a spill. Well, that is on himself, he did however manage to spill the grape juice at snack time, the paint in art class, and his pen all over his classmates. By that afternoon, his whole class managed to get messy except for Henry. As the whole class lined up to get their picture taken Henry stood out from them all with his nice clean shirt. He felt terrible making a mess all over his friends, but that all changed when they screamed “group hug!”. He may not have kept his promise with his mom but him and his friends were perfectly happy.
Theme(s):
This book is centered around the themes of accepting yourself for who you are and how to embrace “your own inner mess.” No one needs to become perfect or change who they are. Its also about embracing the everyday messes or imperfections and finding happiness in those moments.
Star Rating: 5 stars
Personal Response:
I absolutely loved reading this book and I wish it was around when I was growing up. I always loved the books about princesses in castles but they were always shown as these perfect girls who had this perfect life. I personally had a lot of insecurities growing up and always tried to be perfect, and it took me a while to realize that I needed to love myself for who I am. I appreciate how this book doesn’t go off the “social norm” of being perfect, but instead is about embracing your imperfect self.
Why I Recommend:
I would definitely recommend this book because its a great way to start conversation with students about acceptance with themselves and with others. I think the book presents such a strong message that a lot of kids can relate to. Our society sets very unrealistic expectations for not only adults but even children that you need to be perfect. From the perfect hair and make-up to the perfect life; this book shows that nothing is going to perfect. I love the message of loving yourself for who you are even the aspects of yourself that you may not necessarily like. So even when your test or your day doesn’t go as planned, you can still find happiness in those imperfect messes.
Henry McHenry, a very messy little rhino decides one Tuesday morning that he would agree to staying clean. With his nicest shirt, all fresh and clean, he wasn’t going to take any chances. So he ate his breakfast with a bib and his mom even gave him some wipes to bring to school. From jelly donuts to paint, he dodged and jumped all day long and he never once made a spill. Well, that is on himself, he did however manage to spill the grape juice at snack time, the paint in art class, and his pen all over his classmates. By that afternoon, his whole class managed to get messy except for Henry. As the whole class lined up to get their picture taken Henry stood out from them all with his nice clean shirt. He felt terrible making a mess all over his friends, but that all changed when they screamed “group hug!”. He may not have kept his promise with his mom but him and his friends were perfectly happy.
Theme(s):
This book is centered around the themes of accepting yourself for who you are and how to embrace “your own inner mess.” No one needs to become perfect or change who they are. Its also about embracing the everyday messes or imperfections and finding happiness in those moments.
Star Rating: 5 stars
Personal Response:
I absolutely loved reading this book and I wish it was around when I was growing up. I always loved the books about princesses in castles but they were always shown as these perfect girls who had this perfect life. I personally had a lot of insecurities growing up and always tried to be perfect, and it took me a while to realize that I needed to love myself for who I am. I appreciate how this book doesn’t go off the “social norm” of being perfect, but instead is about embracing your imperfect self.
Why I Recommend:
I would definitely recommend this book because its a great way to start conversation with students about acceptance with themselves and with others. I think the book presents such a strong message that a lot of kids can relate to. Our society sets very unrealistic expectations for not only adults but even children that you need to be perfect. From the perfect hair and make-up to the perfect life; this book shows that nothing is going to perfect. I love the message of loving yourself for who you are even the aspects of yourself that you may not necessarily like. So even when your test or your day doesn’t go as planned, you can still find happiness in those imperfect messes.
February 27, 2017
Very funny.
August 28, 2016
Henry is one cute - but messy - little rhino! Today is a special day and his mom encourages him to make a special effort to stay neat and tidy - which he does! But in the process, everyone else in his class ends up messy. Readers finally discover the reason Henry should stay clean -- it's class picture day! Everyone ends up happy - and messy - in the end. A good book to read for opposites, accidents, or class picture day themed storytimes.
October 27, 2016
Quite a challenge for a child who is always a mess with food, playing in mud, and just getting dirty tries to stay clean for a day. Funny results for everyone else in the story. And a rhinoceros main character is novel and new. Follows the way most little kids get dirty and don't worry much about it at all just their parents.
June 9, 2016
A sweet little school story. Recommend for PreK - Kindergarten.
July 2, 2016
Super cute story, especially for those who always seem to end up in the mud or wearing their dinners.
August 20, 2016
Little rhino who loves a big mess tries to stay clean for school picture day. Lively and appealing.
August 22, 2016
Perfect back to school book ! So cute! Loved it!
September 21, 2016
A very good book, for kids. I love how Henry stays clean, throughout the day, but everyone else gets dirty, because of Henry.
Read
August 30, 2016No missteps.
September 17, 2016
When Henry promises to stay clean, everyone else gets messy. And because Henry is behind everyone else's dirty disasters, they all share a group hug with him just before the class photo!
October 4, 2016
This is a cute one! I think most children will relate to Henry and his problem of trying to stay neat for picture day.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 33 reviews