Tidy is part of our Starts With a Story Collection, which includes more than 550 picture book companions based on high quality children’s literature that support you in delivering highly-engaging interactive read alouds with follow up activities. Learn more about this children’s book below! - Jodi and the Starts With a Story Team
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SUMMARY
"Tidy" by Emily Gravett is a delightful and humorous children's book that tells the story of Pete the badger, an obsessive cleaner who loves tidiness above all else. Pete takes it upon himself to clean up the forest and make it perfectly neat, but his zealous cleaning leads to unintended consequences. As he relentlessly tidies, Pete uproots trees, damns streams, and disrupts the natural balance of the forest. Eventually, the forest animals come together to show Pete the importance of embracing the messiness of nature. Through Gravett's charming illustrations and witty storytelling, the book conveys a powerful message about the need for balance and the beauty of natural habitats. "Tidy" teaches young readers about environmental stewardship and the importance of preserving the natural world without compromising its diversity and vitality.
 USE THIS BOOK TO TEACH:
Our read aloud lesson plans for this picture book come with reading comprehension questions (with sample student responses), 30 writing prompts, teaching ideas for grammar skills, social emotional learning discussion ideas, and more. Check out our list below to get a sneak peek at some of the skills this resource teaches.
- Discuss the books plot and examine the problem and solution.
- Analyze the illustrations in the story. Discuss how they provide meaning that the words might not.
- Teach a lesson on making connections to enhance comprehension.
- Discuss the author’s use of rhyme and rhythm in this book.
- Introduce pronouns and practice using them.
- Teach a lesson on verb tense and have students categorize examples from the book.
- Introduce students to quotation marks and provide examples from the book.
NO-PREP PRINTABLE ACTIVITIES:
If you are looking for “ready to go” activities for the first day of school, be sure to check out the book companion. With it you’ll receive all of the following resources to align with this specific book:
- comprehension questions
- 30Â writing prompts with themed paper
- vocabulary activities
- word study print & go activities
- ideas for grammar lessons with focus sentence printables
- social emotional learning discussion topics
- graphic organizers to target specific comprehension skills and strategies
This book is a must have for your school or classroom library. Your students are going to love completing these activities for the book and you will be impressed with how much they learn. You will want to read this book to your class every year.
GET THE PRINTABLE ACTIVITIES
ADDITIONAL BOOK SUGGESTIONS
You and your students will love the similar books listed below, which can all be found in our free picture book list.
- Michael Recycle by Ellie Bethel
- The Curious Garden by Peter Brown
- One Plastic Bag by Miranda Paul
TRY OUT A SAMPLE COMPANION
It's hard to explain how amazing the Starts with a Story book companions are because there is just so much goodness included in each one. It's best if you experience using one for yourself. Sign up below & we'll send you an entire book companion to try out for FREE!
