A charming book from creators Laura Gehl and Alexander Stojšić, this rhyming romp through the barnyard is filled with unexpected twists and turns that is sure to keep readers guessing. The meter, in combination with very clever and cute illustrations, makes you think you know exactly where you’re headed, only to be thoroughly surprised with Gelh’s witty imagination. On this farm, anything is possible!

I love the theme that help readers break stereotypical thinking - by the end we come to expect the unexpected. And therein lies the fun. “Nothing here is “normal” (and just what *is* “normal” anyway?) and that’s okay,” the book seems to say.

I can see this being a fun teaching tool for prediction, inferencing, and figurative language/poetry (hyperbole, personification). If you can’t have a few fun days using this with a class, then by all means, go back to Shakespeare. I’d rather be giggling about a messy barnyard filled with delightfully playful animals.

+I received a free advanced reader copy and I am leaving this review voluntarily.+

A cute picture book playing with expectations. Based on each lead up, we'll have a clear idea of what might have caused a mess only to have a different explanation. It's not deep but elementary aged kids will get a giggle out of it.

Silly book that wants to present a rhyme, only to divert into something unexpected and very much not rhyming, to highlight the evils of second-guessing and prejudging. The broken couplets eventually show some nice animals having fun, and certainly the illustrations are wonderful, but I doubt this is a use-often book. For what it can provide, it's three and a half stars.

Who took all the carrots from the patch? Who left wool scattered all over the barn?

Well, the answers may surprise you . . . and make you giggle.

This is a fun and charming guessing game. The bold, colorful illustrations by Aleksandar Stojšić are a perfect compliment.

What an adorable book, I had so much fun reading it! It really brings the reader in as we have to try to guess who’s the one making all the mess in the farm, I’m sure the kids are going to love it!
I’m definitely recommending it!

Thank you netgalley and the publisher for this early copy

Fun twist on the classic "animal noise guessing game" type picture book, but I have a hard time imagining what age group would be interested in this. 3-4yo who would delight in the subversion of expectations in each page would be confused by the highly specific scenarios that each animal is put in (and the second person interjections). And older picture book readers who would find humor in the nonsensical situations would have no interest in an animal noise guessing book to begin with.

My son loved the pictures but I wasn't sold on the story. He liked guessing, but the story didn't hold his 5 year old attention.

Thank you for a copy of this book. This review is my family's honest perspective of the book.

Absolutely loved the art style of this children’s book, it had some great illustrations! However after that, the writing just didn’t come together smoothly, telling the story for me.

Who Made This Mess was one of the most entertaining picture books I've read in a long time. I loved every part of it. I cannot wait to share this with my students.

I really loved this book. I think it would be such a fun book to use in the classroom, and it makes for participation from students, but also a lot of giggles as well. I would definitely make sure to know my students who I am reading this to though. Younger children may have a harder time understanding the fact that most of the book defies expectations, and then the story ends with a choice that aligns with them, yet another joke. I also really enjoyed that the illustrations are as goofy as the story is.

What a truly hilarious read aloud this story is. It totally caught me by surprise! There's a mess being made in the farmyard, and it's your job to guess the culprits. Using silly rhyming text and funny illustrations, this story encourages you to follow the clues and name the suspects. Just when you think you might know the answers, you'll be in for unexpected twist. This is a delightful story that is meant to remind readers to keep an open mind and be careful of making assumptions!

This story cleverly invites the reader to play along with the rhyme. It's so fun, that kids will want to read it over and over again.

It was a fairly amusing book. I don't like to send reviews of books that I don't really love, but NetGalley won't seem to let me take them off my shelf after I've read them without leaving a review. I have such little space in my library's collection that I can't buy everything I'd like.

In a world of "Not It", this book shares the message of not making assumptions about others. It is silly and kids would enjoy it, but I would not recommend it for predictions, just because of how unrealistic parts of it are.

What a fun picture book! The book is bright & colorful, full of rhyming & mysteries for kids.

It's written in a way that has the kids try to "solve several mysteries" along the way. Very fun! Look forward to buying a copy for our kids & grandkids.

Thank you to Netgalley & the Publisher for the ARC copy. I was able to preview this book in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.

A silly story with lots of unexpected twists! A great book for a preschool storytime! Love the way the pictures gave the expected answer and then switched it up!

"Who Made This Mess?" attempts to be a humorous romp through a typical barnyard with a twist. While the text encourages readers to guess who's making different messes around the farm it doesn't respect the reader's ability to infer anything from the illustrations by adding more text in parenthesizes. This might be needed for the youngest audience but caregivers would be able to prompt the exploration of ideas with just a few questions.

If you are looking for a book about not making assumptions this could be worth a checkout from the library.

So cute, so silly. I can imagine this book being a great book to read to a class. It never went where we thought it was going to go!

This is such a funny book! It will start off with a little rhyme but then it finishes with something that doesn’t rhyme at all, is silly and is long winded. My kids already have requested to read it a few nights in a row now. Definitely a hit for bedtime!

Who Made This Mess made my 7 year old laugh out loud. The delightful misdirection and fun illustrations made for a great bedtime story. The easy word choices are excellent for an early reader to enjoy reading out loud.

Many thanks to Capstone and NetGalley for the chance to review this book in exchange for an honest review.