IT IS (NOT) PERFECT

Kang and Weyant’s bear pals practice self-regulation in a quest for perfection.

Two bears (one purple, one brown) build a sand castle together on the beach. “Pat pat pat” goes the shovel and bucket as they mold their creation into the right shapes. As the purple bear puts one last shell in place, the brown bear declares that the castle is “perfect.” But the purple bear has another idea: “It needs flags.” They add twigs to the castle’s turrets. Then the brown bear decides the towers could be taller, so—“pat pat pat”—they build some more. Other furry, anthropomorphic characters begin to crowd the beach and offer their creative feedback for additional components. Finally, a gigantic furry creature (seen only as an enormous foot and shin that extends up past the frame of the page) bellows “MOAT!” The bear pals try to accommodate every idea on the exhaustive list as the other animals watch. Eventually, their teamwork pays off with a resulting sand castle that’s big enough to fill a double-page spread. But, wait, is that a wave headed straight for the beach? Uh oh! As with the other books in the You Are (Not) Small series, this entry effectively uses simple dialogue to drive the story. Most text is printed in extra-large type and is easy to read, with plenty of white space and clear lines connecting dialogue to speakers. Weyant’s colorful cartoon illustrations add a lightheartedness to what could be a stressful real-life situation for kids.

Another life lesson neatly packaged in childcentric humor.