A Fuse #8 Production

It’s not very often that I turn the first page on a board book and then just stop and stare for a while at how beautifully constructed that page truly is. Accompanying the words “Who is making a mess?” the first two pages of this book show a pair of legs sticking out from under a car. But look at how artist Charlie Eve Ryan has so artfully splattered her paints all willy nilly. It’s just beautiful. No less beautiful is what you see when you turn the page and find the answer is “Mama is making a mess”, with her daughter looking to fix a scooter nearby. This book is filled with a wide range of families. From kids who live with gay moms and dads to grandparents to moms and dads, the book’s true focus is on messes and how, often, it’s not the kids that are making them. The final spread of everyone eating at a common table, making a mess, takes away the shame from a very human activity. Feel good about your messes. This book sure does.