Max Cleans Up

December 1, 2000
PreS-The rabbit siblings are back, and they're just as lovable as ever. This time, Ruby is attempting to get Max to clean up his room. Instead of throwing away such things as dirt from his dump truck, ants from his ant farm, an old Easter egg, a melted Popsicle, and other gooey things, he deposits all of them in his front pocket. This, of course, leads to a messy discovery on the last page. The illustrations have more texture than those in the earlier stories; these mixed-media pictures include rubber ants, bird gravel, silver foil, and more, resulting in a new, different, and visually appealing look.-Christina F. Renaud, Attleboro Public Library, MA

Copyright 2000 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

February 1, 2001
Ages 3-8. Big sister Ruby is helping Max clean his room. Of course, Max is not being much help in conventional terms, but in his own way he does contribute. Into the front pocket of Max's overalls go pebbles and sand from his Power City Rocker Crusher dump truck, a few ants from his ant farm, his melting Popsicle, and well, you get the idea. Like all Max and Ruby books, this one does not disappoint. It's often hard for parents to find the humor in a child's messiness, but Wells reminds us that it's essential to try. Ruby says to Max, "There is a place for everything and everything is in its place." But how Max responds to that stock phrase is just one of the things that makes this book special.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2001, American Library Association.)

July 1, 2001
As Ruby goes on a cleaning spree, her younger brother, Max, surreptitiously stashes his special possessions in his overalls, including a melting Popsicle, an old Easter egg, ant farm ants, and sand. Wells's mixed-media illustrations feature the familiar rabbit siblings but aren't well integrated with the text.

(Copyright 2001 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)