Fritz and the Mess Fairy - Hardcover

Wells, Rosemary

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0803709811 ISBN 13: 9780803709812

Publisher: Dial, 1991

Synopsis

Fritz, a master at creating terrible messes, meets his match when his science project goes wrong and the Mess Fairy emerges.

About this title

From Kirkus Reviews:

The strange bedfellows that occur in creative disorder are always good for a laugh; Wells makes the device even funnier here by compounding it. Fritz, a badger, stows the mess in his room under the bed and the food he doesn't like under his seat cushion; then he makes havoc of his family's belongings as he gathers supplies for his science project. Suddenly, his experiment invokes the Mess Fairy--a winged pig who emerges like a genie from his beaker and goes on to flights of messiness that appall even Fritz. Fortunately, he figures out how to reverse his inadvertent spell, then embarks on a night-long frenzy of putting everything back to rights before fixing his family a magnificent breakfast. This isn't Wells at her most imaginative, but she makes the most of a proven theme, capturing the subtleties of Fritz's reactions as well as the broader humor and offering a final comical turn that lightens its message. Fine for group sharing. (Picture book. 4-8) -- Copyright ©1991, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.

From Publishers Weekly:

Not unlike the star of Wells's enchanting Max books, Fritz, a disheveled young skunk, has a knack for finding trouble. Fritz's mischief is of the messy sort: when asked to clean his room, he stuffs under the bed a month's worth of laundry, dirty dishes, spoons and piles of old Halloween candy. At dinner he throws peas and raisins on the floor and slips potatoes under his seat cushion. But the messiest coup of all occurs when Fritz attempts a project for the science fair. He mixes together some unlikely ingredients, and "a once-in-a-lifetime chemical change" makes the Mess Fairy appear. Kids will relish the fact that the chaos created by this bewitching character makes Fritz look like the rankest amateur in the slob department. An unexpected twist caps this spirited tale, illustrated with Wells's distinctive watercolors that brim with droll details. As ever, her childlike sensibilities and zany sense of humor are perfectly on target. Ages 4-8.
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc.

About this edition

• Publisher: Dial
• Publication date: 1991
• ISBN 10: 0803709811
• ISBN 13: 9780803709812
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 32