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Ruth the Sleuth and the Messy Room
Did you ever lose something, because your room was so messy? That is exactly what happened to Ruth the Sleuth. As she searches her messy room for a potholder she borrowed from her mother, Ruth the Sleuth gets distracted again and again by the wonderful items she finds within her mess. But, will she find her mom's potholder in time to have cookies with her friend, Zack? Ruth the Sleuth and the Messy Room nurtures the characteristics of organization, time-management, motivation, and focus in children between the ages of 4 and 9. Includes parental guide for motivating children to keep their rooms clean and a timed, checklist game to teach children how to clean up properly.
- GenresPicture Books
34 pages, Hardcover
First published December 31, 2011
28 people want to read
About the author
Carol Gordon Ekster
6Ìýbooks81ÌýfollowersCarol Gordon Ekster’s first published children’s book, Where Am I Sleeping Tonight?-A Story of Divorce, Boulden Publishing, 2008, was inspired by one special former student who lived the schedule described in the book. It was an About.com Readers' Choice 2012 finalist for Best Children's Book for Single Parents. Another of her stories was in Library Sparks magazine, February 2010. Her second book, Ruth The Sleuth and The Messy Room, was picked up by Character Publishing, for their first list, and came out December 2011. It was awarded the Children’s Literary Classics Seal of Approval in 2012. When Character Publishing closed its doors, Mazo Publishers brought it back in a large print paperback edition, 2018. Her third picture book, Before I Sleep: I Say Thank You with Pauline Books and Media released January 1, 2015 and is going into its fourth printing. It was a Catholic Press Association 3rd place winner for excellence in publication in the children's book category, 2016. Her first e-book, Hip Hopping Books, came out spring 2015 as part of a digital library with Schoolwide, Inc. And the picture book, You Know What?, came out first in Dutch (Mama, Wist Je Dat?), December 2016 with Clavis Books, and the English version released September 1, 2017. It was a CLEL Bell Picture Book Awards Nominee for Talk (2018) and a
Crystal Kite Award Finalist, New England region, 2018. Chinese, Arabic and Korean translations are available. You can watch the book trailer here:
Carol's book came out with Beaming Books in May 2022, titled SOME DADDIES. Her sixth book, TRUCKER KID, releases January 1, 2023 with Capstone, illustrated by Russ Cox.
Carol retired after teaching 4th grade for 35 years. She starts her day exercising and doing yoga, then works on her writing and book promotion. She loves to discuss using picture books with all elementary grade students and has presented about this at conferences. She is excited that her writing gives her another way to communicate with children.
Stay in touch:
Crystal Kite Award Finalist, New England region, 2018. Chinese, Arabic and Korean translations are available. You can watch the book trailer here:
Carol's book came out with Beaming Books in May 2022, titled SOME DADDIES. Her sixth book, TRUCKER KID, releases January 1, 2023 with Capstone, illustrated by Russ Cox.
Carol retired after teaching 4th grade for 35 years. She starts her day exercising and doing yoga, then works on her writing and book promotion. She loves to discuss using picture books with all elementary grade students and has presented about this at conferences. She is excited that her writing gives her another way to communicate with children.
Stay in touch:
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
March 12, 2012
Ruth the Sleuth and the Messy Room by Carol Gordon Ekster is a fun story as young readers follow Ruth on a quest to find mom's missing potholder that is lost somewhere in her messy room. Ruth must find the potholder before the cookies are done baking. The story teaches children the importance of being organized as well as staying on task even when outside influences distract you. A clock on the bottom of each page shows how much time Ruth has left before the cookies are done. There is also information for parent's on helping their kids be organized.
April 9, 2012
Let's face it, as parents, we know kids are messy and so are their rooms. We also know that kids know it too. We create nicknames for them like, “Messy Marvin� or “Cluttery Cate� and anything else we can think of that rhymes with a child's name. I would like to introduce you to Ruth. Apparently she doesn't know what a clean room is either.
Ruth has gotten herself into a bit of a mess. And I mean that literally. Her mother is putting a fresh batch of chocolate chip cookies into the oven. Mom will need a potholder to pull the hot cookies out of the oven very soon. Finding that potholder could be quite a chore for Ruth.
“Ruth, you've got ten minutes,� Ruth's mom said as she slid the tray of chocolate chip cookies into the oven. “I set the timer, and when that buzzer goes off, I want the potholder you borrowed for your toy oven. Can you find it in that room of yours?�
Ruth takes on the challenge of finding the missing potholder just like any kid would. But while she is searching she gets a little sidetracked. She finds a missing blue crayon and draws a picture. She plays, hops over furniture, shoots a few baskets and finds lots of other missing items. Ruth's friend Zack stops by for a visit and tumbles around the room with her. All the while a little clock is positioned at the bottom of the page. Tick, tock, time is passing by, will Ruth find the missing potholder in her very messy room? You'll have to read the story to find out.
Ekster shares a story that is warm and fun. Kids and parents will be able to connect with Ruth and her messy room. The illustrations depict the mess in the room and the time ticking away. Kids will be able to find all sorts of funny objects. Simple sentences make this story a fun read. The back of the book has a great cookie recipe for parents and kids to try. Also included, is a parents guide for growing organized kids. There are helpful tips, games and suggested rewards. There is also a tidiness questionnaire that parents can take with their children in an effort to time them on cleaning their room. This book is very engaging and offers loads of help for parents with messy kids.
Ruth has gotten herself into a bit of a mess. And I mean that literally. Her mother is putting a fresh batch of chocolate chip cookies into the oven. Mom will need a potholder to pull the hot cookies out of the oven very soon. Finding that potholder could be quite a chore for Ruth.
“Ruth, you've got ten minutes,� Ruth's mom said as she slid the tray of chocolate chip cookies into the oven. “I set the timer, and when that buzzer goes off, I want the potholder you borrowed for your toy oven. Can you find it in that room of yours?�
Ruth takes on the challenge of finding the missing potholder just like any kid would. But while she is searching she gets a little sidetracked. She finds a missing blue crayon and draws a picture. She plays, hops over furniture, shoots a few baskets and finds lots of other missing items. Ruth's friend Zack stops by for a visit and tumbles around the room with her. All the while a little clock is positioned at the bottom of the page. Tick, tock, time is passing by, will Ruth find the missing potholder in her very messy room? You'll have to read the story to find out.
Ekster shares a story that is warm and fun. Kids and parents will be able to connect with Ruth and her messy room. The illustrations depict the mess in the room and the time ticking away. Kids will be able to find all sorts of funny objects. Simple sentences make this story a fun read. The back of the book has a great cookie recipe for parents and kids to try. Also included, is a parents guide for growing organized kids. There are helpful tips, games and suggested rewards. There is also a tidiness questionnaire that parents can take with their children in an effort to time them on cleaning their room. This book is very engaging and offers loads of help for parents with messy kids.
October 5, 2012
My Review: Ruth the Sleuth is racing against time to look for her mother’s potholder. She must find the potholder before her mother’s cookies are done baking. Her only problem is she has to find it in her messy room. She checked under her bed parting the sea of clothes and toy but it wasn’t there, not among her of pile of papers or in her closet. Where could it be? Ruth said she is “Ruth the Sleuth, and I can find anything I put my mind to.� Did she find it? You can buy your copy to find out. I love the storyline of this book and how it teaches children the importance of being organized.
At the bottom of each page a clock shows how much time Ruth has left before the cookies are done. The last few pages gives Ruth’s favorite chocolate chip cookie recipe, a parent’s guide to growing organized kids, how to use the timing game and Ruth the Sleuth’s room tidiness questionnaires. I highly recommend this book not only for the home but for classroom teaching. Great illustration by Kimberly Soderberg.
FTC Disclosure: I received a review copy of this book from the author in exchange for a fair and honest review. I was not monetarily compensated for my opinion in any way.
At the bottom of each page a clock shows how much time Ruth has left before the cookies are done. The last few pages gives Ruth’s favorite chocolate chip cookie recipe, a parent’s guide to growing organized kids, how to use the timing game and Ruth the Sleuth’s room tidiness questionnaires. I highly recommend this book not only for the home but for classroom teaching. Great illustration by Kimberly Soderberg.
FTC Disclosure: I received a review copy of this book from the author in exchange for a fair and honest review. I was not monetarily compensated for my opinion in any way.
May 9, 2014
I am the technology coordinator at an elementary school. I arranged for Mrs. Ekster to Skype with our 3rd grade class. Mrs. Ekster presented a wonderful lesson to the children. More importantly, the children in the class loved this book, Ruth the Sleuth and the Messy Room. Their teacher read it to them as part of their English Language Arts class. It contains great vivid vocabulary to discuss, and some onomatopoeia. One student said the story encouraged her to clean her room, and was inspired to keep it from not getting messy again. The illustrations in Ruth the Sleuth and the Messy Room are eye catching and colorful. Ruth the Sleuth and the Messy Room is always asked for in our school Library.
November 22, 2015
My 2nd grade class began the year focusing on narrative writing. We used Ruth the Sleuth as a read aloud/mentor text to identify show, not tell, dialogue, strong verbs, etc. My students LOVED this book!
Carol skyped with my students and in addition to reading Ruth to them, she also shared her top writing tips. My students referenced what Carol talked about with them throughout the entire rest of the school year! She was simply fabulou, and a class favorite!!!
Carol skyped with my students and in addition to reading Ruth to them, she also shared her top writing tips. My students referenced what Carol talked about with them throughout the entire rest of the school year! She was simply fabulou, and a class favorite!!!
January 23, 2014
Ruth the Sleuth is a great book about organization and responsibility. My kids love it!
July 29, 2016
This is a wonderful book with bright, cheerful illustrations. Tips on tidiness and time management are neatly (pun intended) woven into the fun story.
April 27, 2021
When Mom's potholder goes missing, Ruth the Sleuth is on the case! But with only 10 minutes to find the potholder and a room that is filled with messes, will Ruth succeed? I love the countdown clock on each page, the delicious chocolate chip cookie recipe, and the amazing back matter, including a parent's guide, activities, and a questionnaire. This fun book offers caregivers and children a chance to discuss the importance of organization and responsibility. I wish I would've had this book to share with my daughter when she was little! Like Ruth, my daughter was organizationally challenged. ;) Highly recommended for homes and libraries!
March 6, 2021
This book is so fun and full of action! I love it! The story has important messages woven in about organization, time-management and focus, yet is written in a way that is entertaining and will appeal to children. It promotes a positive "can do" attitude and a growth mindset. This is an excellent book for caregivers and educators to have in their libraries. Helpful practical tips and ideas included at the end of the book are an added bonus!
June 8, 2016
Although there's a lesson here, the story is entertaining and not didactic. Teachers can use this as an excellent example of vivid verbs. Readers will enjoy watching for playful touches in the illustrations. Very helpful questionnaire and suggestions in the back that will be easy and fun to implement!
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
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