Arnold offers emergent readers a predictable text, humorous cartoon-style illustrations, and a gentle reminder that we must all clean up after ourselves. Jake's new Robug (Remote Operating Basic Utility Gizmo) arrives, and he instructs it to fix the mess littering the couch. Robug obediently complies, moving debris from the couch to the table. Subsequent directives result in the detritus migrating to the television, the bathroom, and the roof (along with new mess acquiredin each location), and finally, the mess returns to its original place ("Put it all back!"). After a final command ("Fix this mess!") the irate robot tosses everything back to Jake, who is forced to obediently straighten as Robug critiques from the couch. The succinct, repeating text will be accessible to beginning readers, and children are sure to love Robug (who resembles a Roomba with a face), especially as he becomes more and more annoyed with Jake's orders. Pair with Rosemary Wells' Fritz and the Mess Fairy (1991) for another zany look at orderliness.

Jake turns Robug ("Remote Operating Basic Utility Gizmo") on and commands it to "fix this mess." Robug energetically fires into action, but things don't quite turn out right. Funny details in Arnold's characteristic cartoon-style illustrations build momentum from page to page, and the vocabulary is simple enough to allow the newest readers to enjoy it all on their own.

K-Gr 2 Jake thinks that at a robot named ROBUG (Remote Operating Basic Utility Gizmo) is the answer to his prayers until it takes his instructions all too literally. What was intended to be a time-saving device becomes the source of several mix-ups and mayhem, and, ultimately, makes more work for Jake than he started with. Arnold, the author of Dirty Gert (Holiday House, 2013) and the "Fly Guy" books (Scholastic), continues to demonstrate his understanding of children's humor through his simple but clever dialogue and hilarious artwork. Fix This Mess can be read independently or aloud, and the action-packed images will work perfectly for storytime. The cartoon illustrations were drawn on a Wacom Cintiq HD drawing tablet and digitally edited but still incorporate Arnold's self-characterized "controlled scribbles" to fill in the pictures. A fun read for everyone, the mantra "I will fix this mess" will be repeated in well-practiced robot voices by children, teachers, and parents alike. Megan Egbert, Meridian Library District, ID