Summary
Penelope is a planner. Penelope is precise. Penelope is a bit of a perfectionist. When things go according to plan, her style seems to work. But when there’s a wrench in her system, Penelope isn’t quite sure what to do next.
Review
Penelope is my kind of girl! She has a plan. She has a chart. She’s a good, careful student. She keeps a to do list! But I have fallen into Penelope’s trap, too — perfectionism. It’s the all-or-nothing thought pattern that says less than perfect is the same as failure. Thankfully, Penelope finds some balance during the story that will help her keep her perfectionism in check.
This could be a great starting point to talk about perfectionism with kids. I’d want to be really clear that Penelope’s planning nature isn’t the issue – lists and plans work for a lot of people. The problem comes up when people are so tied to those plans that they don’t know how to shift gears when things go awry. Or they give up or quit when things don’t go the way they wanted them to. Resources for parents and teachers are included in the back matter.
Rating:♥♥♥♥