Llama Llama Mess Mess Mess

Llama Llama

by Anna Dewdney, Reed Duncan

Mama Llama teaches Llama Llama a humorous lesson in cleaning up in Anna Dewdney's bestselling Llama Llama series.

Time to pick up all your toys!
Why is Mama making noise?
Mama says it's cleaning day.
Llama only wants to play.

Anna Dewdney's Llama Llama is growing up, but he still loves to play with all his toys! When Mama Llama says it's time to clean up, Llama responds like any child more interested in playing than cleaning . . . by ignoring her! But Mama has an imaginative response of her own. What if she never cleaned? What would happen then? Well, Llama Llama is going to find out! Here is a truly funny take on a childhood chore that all children will relate to and laugh at! And it is sure to be helpful to get kids cleaning up!

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens, Animals, Storytime, Fiction, Humor, Juvenile

40 pages, Hardcover

First published August 20, 2019

About the author

Anna Dewdney was an award-winning children's-book author, illustrator, teacher, mother, and enthusiastic proponent of literacy and reading aloud to children. She was the author of the bestselling Llama Llama Red Pajama series of picturebooks, among many others. She lived with her partner Reed Duncan in Vermont where she worked, gardened, and spent time with her daughters and dogs.

Reviews

[Ashley Adams · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love the llama series so much!

Today is cleaning day,
but Little Llama wants to play.

If Mama took the day to rest,
would they all just live in mess?

Little Llama learns to put away
all of the toys from his day of play.

After all, there's a job to do.
Look around and you'll notice too!

[Becky · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good clean up book, but not exactly the best Llama Llama book. Public libraries should buy, but home libraries can just... visit the public library instead.

[Rachel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Too cute! I bet the other ones are just as cute.
Little Llama learns that everyone has to clean otherwise where will he have space to play??

[AbsentLibrarian · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another fun and lesson-y LLama book!

[Anthony · Rating 3 out of 5]

A story told in rhyme as Mama Llama, asks Llama Llama to pick up his toys, but Llama Llama only want to play, and not help Mama Llama clean up. This witty tale helps Llama Llama see the error of his ways, and be helpful to Mama Llama.

[Meredith · Rating 3 out of 5]

When Llama Llama doesn’t want to put away his toys, Mama Llama turns the tables by making her own mess and refusing to pick up.

This picture book humorously addresses the importance of picking up and cleaning.

[Emma · Rating 4 out of 5]

Llama's Mama asks him to tidy up his room, and he imagines what it would be like if Mama never cleaned. Grown up llamas clean, but little llamas can clean up too. An important life lesson, lest Llama Llama end up in a mess of a house (like some of us grown up non-cleaners!)!

[Amy · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun look for younger children at how important their contributions are to your home and family.

[Margaux · Rating 3 out of 5]

Meh. It's Llama Llama.

[Lara · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another solid lesson book from Llama Llama. Here he learns the value of helping with chores, how everyone needs to pitch in (because what if Mama Llama did just what she wanted!) The usual Llama Llama rhymes - not sing-songy, per se, but definitely a rhythm that will stick in your head all day!

Could be used in a storytime on helping or chores, and could definitely be a family read for little ones starting to learn about being responsible.

[MeganRuth - Alohamora Open a Book · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's okay. The rhythm and rhyme is great, but it's not the best Llama Llama book. However, Llama Llama fans won't complain.

In my opinion this is a better family read aloud #readtoyourkids than storytime or classroom story.

[Brittany · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent book all about clean up! What more can a momma ask for?

[Yolanda · Rating 5 out of 5]

My family and I love all the Llama Llama books. So this one is no exception, it’s a great book teaching young ones how they can help to clean up their space. I need to read this book to my kids every day and maybe the message will someday stick. They sure don’t listen to ME when I tell them the house is a mess, mess, mess and to help me clean up! 😂 This is a perfect edition to the whole Llama Llama series with it’s classic illustrations and a topic that is on going in any household.

**Thank you to Edelweiss+ for this free e-arc for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.**

[Jana · Rating 4 out of 5]

With comfortable rhyming text and awesome illustrations this fun picture book in the Llama Llama series shows young readers the importance of helping to keep our areas neat and clean. Mama Llama is calling for Llama Llama to come and help clean up the house, but he would rather play. Mama imagines what life would be like if SHE decided to play all the time instead of clean. In the end, Llama Llama realizes that home is much more comfortable and fun when everyone helps to keep it neat and clean. This is good book to share with young children to teach the importance of everyone helping out.

[Jess Foltz · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well, haven't we all had moments where we've thought like Mama Llama - wanting to make a mess too! While serving as a great, and rather funny, reminder to clean up when finished, this was not one of my favorite Llama Llama books. As a read-aloud, some of Llama Llama's reactions to his mothers mess-making are lost on readers and portray Mama Llama as losing her marbles instead of using them to teach a lesson. I felt it had less rhythm than other Llama Llamas. Still a good reminder to clean up those toys, but not one I would rely on. Paperback purchase or library checkout worthy.

[Shari (Shira) · Rating 2 out of 5]

Another addition to the Llama Llama series. In this book, Llama Llama learns why it is important to clean up. A little didactic for my taste.

[Allison · Rating 4 out of 5]

pretty fun

[Calli Leventis · Rating 3 out of 5]

not my favorite llama...also, why is mama llama still in 1954?

[Ginny · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this to my local Head Start. I have to go with their opinion of this book. I think they liked it. It caused much discussion about kids cleaning. Very good.

[L.A. · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5. Not a fan of this series all that much, but this is the only book I’ve seen showing what would happen if Mama just kicked back and did what everyone else does!

[Charity]

Summary:
Llama Llama was asked to clean his room by his mom, but he did not want to because he only wanted to play. Mama Llama starts to show Llama Llama what would happen if she did not clean, and the entire house because a mess. She left dirty dishes, did not throw away trash, stopped washing clothes, and so much more. Llama Llama realized the importance of cleaning and finishing his chores because of the mess that his mom showed him would happen. He then had room to play a game with his mom.

Analysis:
I have always enjoyed the Llama Llama books. The drawing are fun and light-hearted, and the lessons in them are wonderfully represented. I like this one a lot because it shows what happens when cleaning is not done. It did not necessarily make cleaning look like a fun task, but it does encourage cleaning and picking up after yourself.

Classroom Ideas:
This book could easily be used to encourage children to clean both at school and around their homes. It helps lay a foundation of the importance and simplicity of keeping their areas neat. It also can help show the importance of listening to adults because often, there are other reasons children are asked to do things, and this shows just a bit of why we might ask them to do certain tasks.

[Chelka Posladek · Rating 3 out of 5]

We were excited to read the new Llama Llama, though I'm not entirely sure why. We all LIKE Llama Llama, but none of us really love it (Actually, I think we prefer the Netflix show, given that Llama seems more willing to help out and grow; he's kind of whiny in the books). My husband, my 3-year-old and I all seemed to enjoy this installment about as much as the others in the series. The lesson is one everyone needs to learn and it was presented in a rhyming, silly-enough fashion. But nothing made us laugh out loud, and no one asked to turn back and read it again. It's nice that Llama Llama can live on after Dewdney's death, and I'm glad Llama Llama fans have a new book on the horizon. But this certainly isn't one I'll go out of the way to buy, and I probably won't notice it missing from our personal library.

[Joyce Ellis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Llama Llama is busy playing and balks at the idea of helping Mama Llama clean up the house. But then the little llama imagines what would happen if Mama took that attitude. What if she just wanted to play all day? My favorite line is this one: "She'd take the clothes, all clean to wear, and throw them up into the air." That's my favorite illustration in the book, too. Llama Llama soon realizes that the house would be so messy there would be no place to play. So with Mama's coaching, Llama Llama works with her, one task at a time, to create "lots of space to play with Mama." I love the eyes and facial expressions for both Mama and her little one. Cute, rhyming story to delight parents and children. Great takeaway in this classic Llama Llama story.

[Cara Byrne · Rating 2 out of 5]

Even though Anna Dewdney has passed, it's nice to see her legacy living on in new Llama Llama books. However, this book lacks the charm of other books in the series. While it stresses an important skill for little ones to learn (learning to clean and pick up after themselves), it also shows Mama Llama as the primary cleaner of the home - and imagines what would happen if she stopped cleaning for a moment: "Crumbs and clothes and peanut shells ... What's this thing? What's that smell? Messy counters, dirty drawers ... Where is Mama? Where's the FLOOR?"

[Caroline Adams · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book by Anna Dewdney is an excellent way to introduce younger children to cleaning up after themselves. This book follows Llama Llama realizing how important it is to clean up. He imagines what the house would be like if Mama Llama never cleaned and acted like he does. Then it shows Llama Llama cleaning up with the help of his mama. I really enjoyed this book and the message it gives and the bright and colorful illustrations. This book would be a great book to have in a preschool or kindergarten class. It would be a good simple story time book.

[Summer Ottesen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I normally don’t review kids books, but this book was adorable. My 5 year old loved it. Children can sometimes have a hard time understanding why we need to clean up after ourselves and this book was a cute reminder of why we need to pick up our toys or things we get out. I loved reading this story to him. (I may have needed this book as a little reminder for myself too, now that summer time is here🥰)

[Maria · Rating 3 out of 5]

Llama Llama doesn't want to clean up... he'd rather play. And he convinces Mama Llama that its a good idea... or is it? What if no one ever cleaned?

Why I started this book: Llama Llama is dear to my heart and I'm always thrilled to see a new book.

Why I finished it: Good reminder for Moms and kids of all the work that Moms do.

[Melanie H. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Little Llama is back but he's a mess! When Mama Llama asks him to clean up he wants to play. But then he and Mama wonder what the house would look like if she didn't clean at all. Little Llama gets the picture and begins to clean up his room.

A picture book meant just for those littles that need a little encouragement.

[Ashley · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good message, good rhyme scheme, a bit ho-hum that the mom is the cleaning lady (dad doesn't come up at all). Illustrations are fairly consistent with Dewdney's style but the mama's eyes sometimes aren't done any favours by the underlying canvas texture--which otherwise is quite nice. It's great that these stories can continue.

[Sarah- Pupsandprose · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another great Llama Llama book! I liked some of the earlier books better, but my preschool students have really come to love Llama Llama Mess Mess Mess and ask me to read it to them all the time. It’s a fun little story, with the added bonus of teaching kids about cleaning up and helping out at home.