Tawny was in trouble again. Today was chore day and her room was a mess. Tawny enjoyed having her own room, but she hated keeping it clean. She didn't have to worry about sharing it with anyone except Duke, her pet turtle. If Momma saw this room she might not be able to go outside today. Everything was going okay until she discovered her long lost video game under her bed and decided to take a break from cleaning. When Momma showed up and scolded her for not finishing the job, she found herself spending the afternoon uncovering lost and forgotten treasures in her room and doing some cleaning too. She also learned from her Momma the importance of keeping a clean room and that everybody had to clean their rooms growing up even her brother Sam. Then to top it off Momma told her a story about Grandma Beatrice and the infamous "white glove test" and Tawny made the decision that it was better to have a clean room than a messy room any old day and finding her video game helped too.

Giggle more with the Tawny PaPawny collection. Enjoy the series all over again in this special hardcover edition that will last and last throughout generations. Follow Tawny as she tackles rainy days, dream auditions, circles of fire, lice in tomato soup, surprise school carnivals, elephants on skates and yours truly Duke the Turtle! Remember to Read Out Loud and always Dream Big! The Tawny PaPawny collection includes all 11 books of the series #1: the No Good Miserable Low Down Rainy Day, the Late Late School Bus, the Nasty Cold Bug, the Messy Room, Helping Others Is Fun, Is It Sunday Already, Dukes Big Birthday Bash, the New Pink Bicycle, the Great Grade Switchup, Lice in the Tomato Soup and No More School!

Tawny finds herself feeling sad because there have been two rainy days and there is no sign of it stopping. And to add to her misery, her best friend Jessie had an accident at the school soccer game where he hurt himself slipping in the rain after a downpour covered the field in hundreds of foot-sized puddles. Tawny had plans to go visit Jessie today, because he said that he was coming home from the hospital. She was so excited. He promised that she could sign his cast and everything. Only problem is it won't stop raining. Tawny hates when it rains and she is especially afraid of the thunder. But just as she thinks there is no hope, her mother gives her a surprise that makes this no good miserable low down rainy day a little brighter. And the sunshine helped too.

"Tawny got her test paper back from Math class and she passed, but Jessie didn't do so. He got a C+ and now he's afraid to tell his mom. The last time he didn't do well on a test his mom took him off the soccer team. After a discussion over lunch, Tawny and Jessie come up with a plan to meet after school to see about switching his grade. Just as they were about to get themselves into trouble Mrs. Johnson came out of the house just in the nick of time to stop them from making a Great Grade Switchup."--Back cover

So it's Saturday again and Momma has a surprise activity planned for the day. Tawny, Sam and Duke are taken on a trip to the local soup kitchen. Momma says that they have to help serve and learn the importance of helping others so that they don't become selfish. As Tawny and her family take the short ride across town she finds out that there is a lot going on with other families outside of their own neighborhood and that some don't have a place to call home. While at the soup kitchen she meets Miss Dorothy, who is in charge of the kitchen and one who gave Tawny the best job ever. Tawny discovers that there are far more important things than getting birthday gifts and making hats for Duke. She now understood that her Momma was right, sometimes people need help and she wanted to be one of those people who helped, because helping others is fun!

Tawny Lynn Brown is a six year old African - American girl who lives in the City of Lackawanna. She lives with her mom Tamara, her dad Randy, her brother Sam and her pet turtle Duke. She loves flowers and hates rainy days. She is a first grader at Roosevelt Elementary, where she attends class with her best friend Jessie Johnson who lives down the street with his mom and his pet cat named Zeus. Tawny finally got her new bicycle. It's pink and white with squiggly lines and a banana seat, and it's the bestest one. She wanted that bike and she wanted to ride it right away. Daddy has to put the training wheels on it so that she won't tip over because she's not ready for the two wheels yet. Everybody saw it and said that it was a nice bike. Tawny wanted to ride it as soon as she got home. Only Momma said she has to wait till after dinner.

Tawny loved the playground. She loved the slides and she even loved the swings. She liked to swing high and swing low. She enjoyed her time in the playground on Saturday with her dad. She especially loved the new rock she chose for Duke's bowl on the way home. She had to get his bowl ready because tonight there was a show on the Disco channel all about turtles. Tawny needed to find a way to stay up late and still get up for church in the morning. Last week she tried to hide out under the covers in her room and woke up to the flashlight still signing in her face and Duke's bowl still sitting under the covers where she left it. Tawny needed a plan to stay up late tonight and she needed one quick. Who knows maybe she won't have to hide out under the covers anymore. And just maybe she'll wake up on time Sunday morning for church.

Tawny was so excited! Tomorrow is Duke's birthday. Well not exactly it's just the day that her parents brought him home and to celebrate Momma is allowing her to have a party and not just any party a Big Birthday Bash!! She can invite her friends and their pets too! Tawny has big plans for this party; a part of the fun will be elephants, monkeys, ferrets, and birds. Oh my! She even had to put the finishing touches on Duke's birthday hat to mark the day. Momma was making a special cake too. Tawny was all set to prepare for the party she even got Jessie to help her with the finishing touch. Only problem is Ms. Ransal over heard them making plans and she told the whole class. Now everyone wants to come and Momma said, 'Just a few friends.' What will Tawny do? Will she get to make Duke's Big Birthday Bash the best ever or will her house be turned into a zoo instead?

Tawny was ready for the big audition in Ms. Ransal's class. She studied all of the lines and made sure that she learned how to cry and laugh hysterically all at the same time. Not to mention she got stuck waiting for the Late Late Bus the other day and now this morning she has a temperature of 100 degrees and she doesn't feel so well. Momma thinks she caught the nasty cold bug. Come to find out she wasn't the only one. Ms. Ransal said most of the class was going to miss the auditions for the big play 'cause almost everybody caught the nasty cold bug too. And now on top of all that she can't teach Duke how to flip through the circle of fire. And Momma is gonna make her take that nasty red stuff again. Eeww! Momma said that Ms. Ransal is holding auditions tomorrow too. So maybe she'll have a chance after all, if she can beat this nasty cold bug.

The Messy Room is the first in Carolyn’s planned Already Housebroken Pets picture book series.