Ever find your child or even yourself struggling to achieve perfection? While this can feel problematic, readers are introduced to Petunia, a young girl who takes pride in doing everything perfectly. Throughout her journey, we can start to feel normalized that not everyone or everything can be perfect.
The story starts out with an introduction to dear Petunia. Whether she is doing her favorite activities of drawing-by meticulously organizing her crayons, playing guitar- until her fingers ache, or painting-without going outside of the lines, she is always striving for perfection, but at the cost of any real enjoyment.
The height of the book occurs when her first real life nightmare occurs. She makes a mistake. Being overwhelmed with embarrassment and shame, something very surprising happens that she never expects: the support of her friends and teacher. Is this the turning point in which she realizes she doesn’t have to be so perfect after all?
Marissa Bader does an excellent job in teaching young minds about resilience, self assurance, and how to seek out growth in a very nurturing tone that even the youngest of readers can understand, with adults alike.
The Verdict
This book is an excellent way for early learners to explore a new feeling to them that may not have been explored quite yet: shame, resilience, and self growth. With the great illustrations and fonts used in the book, it is another way to keep kids engaged, while also getting the author’s message across.
Book Facts
Age Range: 5-10 years
Grade Level:
Hardcover: 32 pages
Get The Book
The book is available at
marissabader.com/shop or on
Amazon.
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