A Whimsical Tale of Sibling Love and Chaos

The Big Mess by Justin Whitmel Earley is a heartwarming and humorous picture book that perfectly captures the chaos and love of sibling relationships. Written in an engaging and fun rhyme, this story follows a big brother mouse who just wants to bake a perfect dessert, only to be interrupted by his energetic and clumsy little brother, Moose.
The book is filled with humor and relatable moments that will resonate with anyone who has a sibling. It teaches a valuable lesson about giving grace and being patient with one another. The narrative beautifully reminds readers that no matter how messy life gets, it's always better when shared with the ones you love. It’s a perfect story for navigating sibling relationships and learning to get along with others despite their differences.
For those listening to the audiobook, the experience is exceptional. The narrator's performance is expressive, clear, and just right, making the characters feel alive. The added sound effects that fit the story's events make listeners feel like they are truly in the scene, transforming the listening experience into a cinematic one.
Overall, The Big Mess is a great bedtime or anytime listen. It's a wonderful, adventure-filled book that's packed with humor, warmth, and a lot of love, making it a valuable addition to any family's collection.

What a delightful surprise this book turned out to be! The Big Mess captures the everyday ups and downs of sibling life in a way that is both funny and heartfelt. Mouse sets out to bake something wonderful, only to have Moose storm in and turn everything upside down. The chaos that follows is familiar to anyone with brothers or sisters—but so is the lesson of love that lingers at the end.

Justin Whitmel Earley’s playful rhyming text makes the story bounce along with energy, keeping kids engaged while offering parents a smooth read-aloud experience. Paired with Janna Mattia’s vibrant, expressive illustrations, the book perfectly balances humor with warmth. Children will laugh at Moose’s antics, while parents will appreciate the gentle reminder about patience, grace, and the joy of family, even in the messiest moments.

This story is an excellent choice for ages 4–8, whether at bedtime, in classrooms, or for siblings learning how to navigate life together. It’s a book that entertains while quietly planting seeds of kindness and forgiveness.

In short: whimsical, funny, and heartfelt—The Big Mess is a must-have for families and teachers alike.

"The big Mess" is a fun book about dealing with siblings. I listened to the audiobook version with my child as a good-night story and he enjoyed it very much. The narration is engaging and the story is heartwarming. The runtime is about 5 minutes for the audio version, plus a few minutes for comments from the author. The audio version also comes with a little explanation for those who have no access to the book, as it can be a bit hard to understand who the characters are (the brothers are called Mouse and Moose). I would recommend getting the book.

I received the audiobook of this title so I can't comment on the pictures. This audiobook includes sound effects instead of just words. Little brother mouse is frustrated because his brother keeps destroying the things that he makes. Rather than try to convince his brother not to do that, he decides to only make things that are meant to be destroyed. I found that to be an odd outcome, but there's something to be said for learning to love your family the way they are instead of the way you wish they were. At the end of the book there are discussion questions that are very religious.

A funny silly story, it's easy to follow up even without the printed book. There are sound effects, which make this audiobook more fun for kids. My kid was lauging out loud. I can imagine this being one of the bedtime reads.

This was a fun story and all 4 of my children ages 2-10 loved it! The author’s note even made me tear up. The author is a great narrator as well.

This was a sweet story and such a fun lesson.

This is an engaging sweet story that brought a smile to all.

This is a great story for families with multiples.

What a cute book! Having a sibling is such a special relationship but at times so trying at times. The audiobook had extra sounds tied in to make it even more fun. I love how it was related to God’s parables and also making it fun for kids in a way they will enjoy.

What a cute and funny story for children. The author did a great job of narrating this story about siblings learning to get along.
The brothers are Mouse and Moose. Mouse being the older brother makes desserts creations but Moose always manages to destroy them. Finally Mouse finds a way to share his delicious desserts with the community even if they look like a big mess.
Great message in this book!

So so cute!!! And the sound effects were an added bonus! I wish I had the book in front of me while listening to the audiobook because I bet the illustrations are great. I want to see the roly-poly (IYKYK). The author did a great job narrating. The story was a great. It was cute story about 2 mouse brothers and the messes the little one keeps creating. Enjoying life with the people you love, even in the mess...that's what's important. Thank you to Zonderkidz and NetGalley for the ALC. All opinions are my own.

I received a copy of this audiobook from netGalley for a honest review.

A very cute story about brothers who are opposites but want to be friends. Little brother unfortunately always messes up big brother culinary creations and causes a big mess. But the love each other and find a way to make it work for everyone. A very sweet thought.

The Big Mess is an amusing book! Told in rhyme, with friendly narration by the author and entertaining sound effects, my littles and I enjoyed listening to this book.
We especially loved the silly antics Mouse and Moose got up to as brothers, and the introduction to roly poly and the sound cue to listen for him.
This story had a sweet moral lesson, applicable to any friends or family, and was delightful and engaging.
I would recommend this to anyone who's kids are learning to compromise and play well with others.

Wow! What a fun book to listen to! I always appreciate it when an author narrates their own audiobook but you never know if they will be good at it. Well I can tell you Justin Whitmel Earley is a fantastic narrator! I felt like he was reading me a bedtime story! The tale itself is very sweet and someday I'd like to take a look at it to see the pictures but really it was a pleasure to hear the author read it!

Well this was adorable. I have littles, so I thought I’d give it a go.

The cover was absolutely adorable. Cute animals with soft colors across the whole cover with no dead space. The story was sweet with clear characters. I listened to the audiobook, which was read by the author, Justin Whitmel Earley. It really was great. The narrator/author did an excellent job of painting a picture for the sake of the audiobook, indicating who the characters were. Also, the little Easter egg of the roly-poly on each page, that had a corresponding sound of a ring, so those listening, instead of reading, could also have some fun. I loved the background noise added to the story. It enhanced the book wonderfully. The story wasn’t too long, keeping in mind little ones paying attention. But it wasn’t too short, again, keeping in mind little ones paying attention. The lesson was clear, and I loved it.

As a parent to littles, I thought it was a sweet story that would be very beneficial to young ones learning to get along. Adorable.

This is wonderful! I will admit that I’m 56 but that didn’t stop me from enjoying the rhythm, the rhyme, the narrator’s voice and the fun (or havoc) that Moose created :)
I will be sharing this with my grandson but I know he will appreciate this short audiobook at bedtime as much as I did.
I would recommend this to teachers and parents who want to entertain young children for a short while.
It was the audiobook that I received from NetGalley, so no pages to turn but the cover illustration is great… colourful and alludes to the fun to be found within the story.

A story about Mouse who bakes and his brother, Moose, who destroys his creations. Told in rhyme, I think many young children will enjoy this book. The audiobook has sound effects which will entertain kids as well. The story has a good theme about learning to work with your siblings. However, there is a preachy note by the author at the end. This book was not tagged as Christian.

Such an enjoyable and relatable read for any siblings. I heard the author on a podcast and I had to buy the physical copy to read with my kids. It’s a colorful book full of rhymes and not preachy. Just a silly and beautiful story of siblings who are figuring out a way to get along.

I received a complimentary copy of this audiobook. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

This is a cute story of a big problem that can be fixed with the help of friends and family. The author creates a simple, lighthearted story, then goes on to explain in the afterward that it is a parable about the love of Jesus for us. Readers who are looking for a Christian parable that uses a seemingly unrelated story to teach about Christ and parables will enjoy this.

The Big Mess is a helpful story for navigating sibling relationships and learning to enjoy and get along with others despite their differences. In this story, big brother Mouse tries to bake the perfect dessert, only to be interrupted by his energetic yet clumsy, baby brother Moose. For every “perfect” dessert Mouse creates, Moose ends up destroying it. This story offers fun, creative teachings about sharing with the ones you love and learning to adapt when things don’t go your way.

Thank you to NetGalley and Zonderkidz for the opportunity to read an Advanced Listener’s Copy (ALC) in exchange for my honest opinion/review. I thought the audiobook was so good, packed with lots of sounds to enhance young readers’ minds.

Celebrating the first audiobook I listened in NetGalley with my child and it's such a fun and heartwarming experience.

Let's talk about the narration because I feel like the author narrating this story is the perfect choice! He has a mellow, fun, clear and easy to follow voice. Not to mention the sound effects make the book more fun and realistic! The pace of reading is just right and the narrator's reading bring the characters to life.

The flow of the story is smooth. It's like you are being carried away in a boat calmly sailing to the end of the story. I also love the rhyming of this book! It makes it sound more engaging!

Overall, everything about this book is wonderful. I love how big brother Mouse learn how to deal with baby brother Moose's chaotic destruction to his "perfect" dessert. The end is touching. I would listen to this again and again with my child.

Thank you to NetGalley and Zonderkidz for the Advance Listening Copy.

A fun story about Mouse and his brother Moose learning to get along. A good one for siblings!
I listened to the audio and found the narrators voice very clear with a good pace and flow to the rhyiming words - and also enjoyed the sound effects throughout which made it a little more interesting for my littles.
I think they would have enjoyed it more in print form as they were a bit distracted