Tulip's Mess -- Anden Wilder, Hardcover

A playful picture book about a little girl who must confront her growing mess after it swallows her most beloved stuffed toy, and the importance of keeping a little tidy.

Mess follows Tulip everywhere. He's there to swallow her socks before bed and nibble on crumbs left behind after snack time. But as Tulip ignores Mess, he grows hungrier and bigger. Then one morning Tulip hears a gigantic SLURP from under her bed. Mess has swallowed her beloved stuffed toy, Ta! How will Tulip get her back?

Author: Anden Wilder
Publisher: Alfred A. Knopf Books for Young Readers
Published: 10/28/2025
Pages: 40
Binding Type: Hardcover
Weight: 1.25lbs
ISBN: 9780593704769
Audience: Ages 4-8

Review Citation(s):
Kirkus Reviews 07/15/2025

About the Author
Anden Wilder was born and raised in Denver, Colorado. She attended the Maryland Institute College of Art and graduated with a degree in painting. With a great love for reading and children's literature, she went on to receive a Masters Degree in Educational Psychology and Early Childhood Literacy. She is a professor of illustration at the Rocky Mountain College of Art and Design. Anden's picture book work explores feelings of inadequacy, longing, and the desire to belong that children always feel. She wants to remind readers that, even though our human experiences may look very different, our feelings are often the same.