Forgetful Critter Makes a Mess

I am a forgetful girl. I often forget where I put things, and I forget to do little things I intended to do. Sometimes I forget for days. And sometimes I just avoid things I know I should do, perhaps feigning forgetfulness to myself. Little Critter has both of these problems in Mercer Mayer's I Just Forgot.

"Sometimes I remember, and sometimes I just forget," the book begins. We then go through a day with Little Critter, along with his faithful animal companions, a mouse, a spider and a puppy. The puppy helps him to remember one task he nearly forgets: giving the dog breakfast! On the whole, he's not very attentive to living creatures in this book; he also neglects the plants and the goldfish, figuring they don't need any extra nourishment. Then again, he forgets his own lunch, so I guess food just isn't on his mind much on this particular day.

In addition to hunger, his forgetfulness leads to several messes; he forgets to make his bed, wipe up spilled milk and put on his rain boots. When he intentionally treks to the kitchen while still wearing his boots, since he figures he'll only be a minute, he tracks muddy water though the house and makes an especially big mess. But he sure does look spiffy in that yellow rain slicker. Water is another recurring theme here; his final act of forgetfulness before bedtime is leaving the water running after he gets out of the tub.

Mr. Critter only shows up on one page, on which he wearily regards the tattered remains of his newspaper, which the puppy got to before Little Critter. We don't see his siblings at all, but Mrs. Critter appears throughout the book, offering usually gentle but occasionally harsh reminders as to what he ought to be doing.

Children as naturally forgetful - or neglectful - as Little Critter should get a kick out of this book, which may just encourage them to be a little more vigilant as they go about their daily tasks. Don't forget to check out I Just Forgot!