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Mooch the Messy
Only for love does a very messy young rat clean up his hole to make his father's visit happier.
- GenresChildrensPicture Books
64 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1976
About the author
Marjorie Weinman Sharmat
254 books118 followersMarjorie Weinman Sharmat was an American children's writer. She wrote more than 130 books for children and teens and her books have been translated into several languages. They have won awards including Book of the Year by the Library of Congress or have become selections by the Literary Guild.
Perhaps Sharmat's most popular work features the child detective Nate the Great. He was inspired by and named after her father, who lived to see the first Nate book published. One story, Nate the Great Goes Undercover, was adapted as a made-for-TV movie that won the Los Angeles International Children's Film Festival Award. Sharmat's husband Mitchell Sharmat expanded Nate's storyline by creating Olivia Sharp, his cousin and fellow detective. Husband and wife wrote four Olivia Sharp books published 1989 to 1991. During the 1990s, their son Craig Sharmat (then in his thirties) wrote three Nate books with his mother. In the late 2010s, their other son Andrew Sharmat co-wrote the last two Nate books written while Marjorie Weinman Sharmat was alive. With Marjorie Weinman Sharmat's passing in 2019 Andrew has continued writing the series with Nate the Great and the Earth Day Robot (2021).
In the mid-1980s Sharmat wrote three books published in 1984 and 1985 under the pseudonym Wendy Andrews.
Sharmat also wrote the Sorority Sisters series, eight short novels published in 1986 and 1987. They are romantic fiction with a sense of humor. They are set in a California public high school (day school for ages 14 to 18, approximately).
Perhaps Sharmat's most popular work features the child detective Nate the Great. He was inspired by and named after her father, who lived to see the first Nate book published. One story, Nate the Great Goes Undercover, was adapted as a made-for-TV movie that won the Los Angeles International Children's Film Festival Award. Sharmat's husband Mitchell Sharmat expanded Nate's storyline by creating Olivia Sharp, his cousin and fellow detective. Husband and wife wrote four Olivia Sharp books published 1989 to 1991. During the 1990s, their son Craig Sharmat (then in his thirties) wrote three Nate books with his mother. In the late 2010s, their other son Andrew Sharmat co-wrote the last two Nate books written while Marjorie Weinman Sharmat was alive. With Marjorie Weinman Sharmat's passing in 2019 Andrew has continued writing the series with Nate the Great and the Earth Day Robot (2021).
In the mid-1980s Sharmat wrote three books published in 1984 and 1985 under the pseudonym Wendy Andrews.
Sharmat also wrote the Sorority Sisters series, eight short novels published in 1986 and 1987. They are romantic fiction with a sense of humor. They are set in a California public high school (day school for ages 14 to 18, approximately).
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
December 25, 2020
Lu et relu mais en français !
Super livre pour enfant. Gaspard est très attachant !
Super livre pour enfant. Gaspard est très attachant !
July 12, 2012
My favorite kids book by far
October 7, 2015
An odd message to send to kids.
August 13, 2018
Jack was very interested in this story.
March 10, 2021
my almost 4 year old daughter loves this book so much!!
February 10, 2023
Cute, with an unexpected ending :)
May 25, 2015
Mooch the Messy
Author – Marjorie Weinman Sharmat
Illustrations – Ben Shecter
Age group – KS1
‘Mooch the Messy’ Written by Marjorie Sharmat and excellently illustrated by Ben Shecter. Mooch the rat lives in a little hole under the hill and loves his place and all that is stored inside. One day Mooch receives a letter and reads that his father will shortly be visiting him and his little hole under the hill. Little does Mooch know that unlike him his father doesn’t like clutter and isn’t impressed with where mooch stores his items. Clothes on door-knobs, lamps, pictures, and shoes on the table. Mooch explains to his father that he likes to see all his things and mooch proudly gives his father a tour of his little hole under the hill. Eventually Mooch’s father comments on the mess and slowly Mooch starts to tidy his little hole under the hill all to make his father happy. The turning point in the story is when Mooch’s father sneezes and wants to go to bed, in turn Mooch cleans up the dust to make his father feel better and proud of his little hole under the hill. When his father awakes he is shocked at the neatness of the little hole and as the days passed and it was time for Mooch’s father to leave he tells his son how proud he was of his neat little hole. Soon after Mooch waves his father goodbye he proclaims ‘I hate neat’ and he retrieves all his clothes and other items and scatters them all over his little hole again.
Ben Shecter the illustrator of the book does a fantastic job complimenting the story, the pictures show exactly how mooch and his father felt at different points of the book, I would recommend this book to KS1 pupils for pleasurable reading.
Author – Marjorie Weinman Sharmat
Illustrations – Ben Shecter
Age group – KS1
‘Mooch the Messy’ Written by Marjorie Sharmat and excellently illustrated by Ben Shecter. Mooch the rat lives in a little hole under the hill and loves his place and all that is stored inside. One day Mooch receives a letter and reads that his father will shortly be visiting him and his little hole under the hill. Little does Mooch know that unlike him his father doesn’t like clutter and isn’t impressed with where mooch stores his items. Clothes on door-knobs, lamps, pictures, and shoes on the table. Mooch explains to his father that he likes to see all his things and mooch proudly gives his father a tour of his little hole under the hill. Eventually Mooch’s father comments on the mess and slowly Mooch starts to tidy his little hole under the hill all to make his father happy. The turning point in the story is when Mooch’s father sneezes and wants to go to bed, in turn Mooch cleans up the dust to make his father feel better and proud of his little hole under the hill. When his father awakes he is shocked at the neatness of the little hole and as the days passed and it was time for Mooch’s father to leave he tells his son how proud he was of his neat little hole. Soon after Mooch waves his father goodbye he proclaims ‘I hate neat’ and he retrieves all his clothes and other items and scatters them all over his little hole again.
Ben Shecter the illustrator of the book does a fantastic job complimenting the story, the pictures show exactly how mooch and his father felt at different points of the book, I would recommend this book to KS1 pupils for pleasurable reading.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
