What's With This Room? [Hardcover]

Tom Lichtenheld (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 1, 2005 | Grade Level: P and up

A discussion between a boy and his parents about a bedroom, that is so dirty he would "have to clean up just to call it a mess," ends with a blast.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

PreSchool-Grade 3–What's with this room? ask the parents of a bespectacled, sheepish-looking little boy in this silly romp through the messiest mess since The Cat in the Hat came to visit. The parents go on to list the room's many disgusting features, including both the predictable (yesterday's lunch, a pair of underpants hanging from the fan) and the absurd (a closet full of local wildlife, including some alleged gnu poo). They demand an explanation. The inventive child claims that everything serves a unique educational purpose: That isn't just vermin down under the rugs,/I'm studying a family of misbehaved bugs. The high gross factor, combined with the clever humor, will keep most children in rapt attention. A few of the jokes are too sophisticated for the audience, but they will give perceptive adults a chuckle. The brightly hued, mixed-media cartoon art is fanciful and filled with nasty details that children will enjoy pointing out. The only problem with the book is that the rhymed couplets are sometimes clunky and overloaded with syllables, but this is a minor quibble. When you read it aloud, possibly paired with Rosemary Wells's Max Cleans Up (Viking, 2000), the kids will be too busy laughing to notice.–Rachael Vilmar, Atlanta Fulton Public Library, GA
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About the Author

Tom Lichtenheld is an art director at Cramer-Krasselt, an international advertising agency. He has written four other children's books, including Everything I Know About Pirates, Everything I Know About Monsters, Everything I Know About Cars (Simon & Schuster), and our topselling frontlist picture book of 2003, What Are You So Grumpy About?.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 32 pages
• Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers (September 1, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0316592862
• ISBN-13: 978-0316592864
• Product Dimensions: 10.2 x 0.4 x 10.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #641,655 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Children's book author & illustrator Tom Lichtenheld writes for kids who love to laugh and adults who love to laugh along with them. His books have been featured in Newsweek and Child magazines, as well as the New York Times Best seller list.
He is available for school and library appearances.
See all of Tom's books and get a glimpse of how he creates them at tomlichtenheld.com

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Think YOUR Room is a Mess? Check This Out!, September 19, 2005

By 

Kim Peek - See all my reviews

This review is from: What's With This Room? (Hardcover)

This stinky room is full of vermin and varmints...and possibly gnu poo. Dirty shirts stick to the walls. Monsters under the bed meet their demise after eating the occupant's socks. When Mom and Dad inquire, "What's With This Room?" their son claims the crud, the critters, the mold and the underwear hanging from the fan are educational-science experiments and art.

The illustrations are outstanding. My second reading of this book was when my seven-year-old daughter read the book to me. Each time she turned page, she chuckled, hid the page from me, and said, "Listen. Don't peek. This page is really funny." Full of rich language, beautiful word pictures and lots of humorous science illustrations, this book will be a favorite among teachers and children.

A moldy mess, an archaeological dig, a study of centrifugal force...suddenly that pile of dirty clothes on the floor seems rather lame! However, if you insist on making your child clean his or her room, be sure to check out Tom Lichtenheld's book "What Are You Grumpy About?"

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fun book!, October 12, 2007

By 

B. Gruner "dadof4" (metro DC) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: What's With This Room? (Hardcover)

My 4yo and 2yo LOVE this book. This has become a fixture in the pre-bedtime routine, and they love it when I read it to them. The listen intently to my dramatic reading, and love saying "gnu poo!"

I got this as a gift from the author's niece, and it will be a favorite for a long time to come.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Check out his other books!, November 23, 2006

By 

Stanley Campbell (Rockford, IL USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: What's With This Room? (Hardcover)

This guy is hilarious! I love his other stuff, but this is his second best book yet (first is his "Everything I know about Pirates" in my humble opinion). Grumpy is good, too. I hope Lichtengiggle does this for a living, but he probably moonlights in advertising.