How to Clean Your Room in 10 Easy Steps 

by Jennifer LaRue Huget

Illustrated by Edward Koren

Awards: Finalist-Bank Street Child Study Children's Book Award

Another entertaining, witty, engaging Procedural /How-To book by Jennifer LaRue that the students will love.  

Talk about ‘text to self”!

The kid-humor is perfect and any child who has ever had a messy room (every kid on the face of the earth?)  will truly appreciate the message and relate to the story.

Huget provides yet another choice mentor text for a genre that can really capture a student’s imagination and help to develop their writer’s voice. Student’s who choose to mimic Huget’s style will have fun getting quirky and humorous in their elaboration of the steps in their own ‘How-To’.

Book Talk

The story’s narrator speaks directly to the readers throughout the book:

From the first page: “Welcome to my room. You will notice that it is very clean.”

She offers to show readers how to clean their room as well. First, of course, one would need a 

messy room to begin…and the narrator instantly messes up her room!

The book is then organized into the ten easy steps.  Each step is revealed on the upper left hand corner of the two page spread next to the number of the step.

For example: 

“1. Always wait until your mother hollers, “GET UP THERE AND CLEAN YOUR ROOM NOW!” using all three of your names.” 

or

“8. Look carefully for evidence of snacks you’ve snuck into your room”

Each ‘step’ is then followed by hilarious details that will make your students laugh out loud.

Like this example:

“6. Pick up any clothes you see lying around.

Don’t waste time trying to figure out if they’re dirty or clean. Wad them all up in balls and put them somewhere where they won’t get in the way. Under the bed is good.”

The illustrations are amusing and add fun to the text.

The genre and playfulness of the topic will motivate and engage students— and I am guessing, even the reluctant writers in your class.

Suggested Uses as a Mentor Text:

Book Genre: Procedural 

Reading Workshop strategies: Fluency, Connecting,Questioning, Visualizing, Search for and Use Information

Writing Workshop genre and strategies: Procedural /How-to, Informational Writing, strong lead, elaboration, writer’s voice, inspiring writers