Big Ideas Press

January 2025

ISBN: 9780645099829

RRP: $27.99

Maura Pierlot Gifts Us with Clutterbugs

Ok, so we’ve never had quite this much mess to clear up but there were plenty of times when my girls were little that I would have welcomed a troop of clutterbugs to help out!

Now we live in such a tiny house, and I have shed so many belongings, that clutter just doesn’t happen. Remember that part in the Labryinth when Sarah almost drowns under all the stuff in her room, with the Junk Lady piling more on top of her? That could well be Steff who is a messy munchkin par excellence. When Pierre, her pooch, manages to dig through the piles of goodness-knows-what with the party invitation for Jay, she can’t even find the present she got for him!

Enter the clutterbugs, cute little critters who get in and teach Steff the trick of keep/toss/recycle. It’s a strategy I learned years ago and now Steff has the bug [sorry, not sorry!], not only can she keep her room organised but has learned the joy of repurposing.

It’s a really fun and light-hearted way to help Smalls understand the importance of waste reduction, reusing/repurposing and being mindful. And, at the same time, shows the value of giving a gift made from the heart, and not from the store.

The rhyme is lively and scans well – well done to Maura, and the illustrations from Maya Bora [whose work is new to me] are wildly colourful and appealing. What a great addition to your teaching units on this topic – or just for fun and making! It gets a 4 super-charged 🚀🚀🚀🚀rating from me, for readers from around Prep up to Year 3.